scholarly journals Influence of organic matter on soil hydrothermal processes in the Tibetan Plateau: Observation and parameterization

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Sun ◽  
Yingying Chen ◽  
Kun Yang ◽  
Hui Lu ◽  
Long Zhao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
High Surface ◽  
Sensible Heat Flux ◽  
Warm Season ◽  
Surface Energy Budget ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Undisturbed Soil ◽  
Soil Hydraulic

AbstractIn the central-eastern Tibetan Plateau (TP) there is abundant organic matter in topsoils, which plays a crucial role in determining soil hydraulic properties that need to be properly described in land surface models. Limited soil parameterizations consider the impacts of soil organic matter (SOM), but they still show poor performance in the TP. A dedicated field campaign is therefore conducted by taking undisturbed soil samples in the central TP to obtain in-situ soil hydraulic parameters and to advance SOM parameterizations. The observed findings are twofold. 1) The SOM pore-size distribution parameter, derived from measured soil water retention curves, has been demonstrated to be much underestimated in previous studies. 2) SOM saturated hydraulic conductivity is overestimated. Accordingly, a new soil hydraulic parameterization is established by modifying a commonly used one based on observations, which is then evaluated by incorporating it into Noah-MP. Compared with the original ones, the new parameterization significantly improves surface soil liquid water simulations at stations with high surface SOM content, especially in the warm season. A further application with the revised Noah-MP indicates that SOM can enhance sensible heat flux but decrease evaporation and subsurface soil temperature in the warm season, and tends to have a much weak effect in the cold season. This study provides insights into the role of SOM in modulating soil state and surface energy budget. Note that, however, there are many other factors at play and the new parameterization is not necessarily applicable beyond the TP.

scholarly journals Method Development for Estimating Sensible Heat Flux over the Tibetan Plateau from CMA Data

2009 ◽  
Vol 48 (12) ◽  
pp. 2474-2486 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kun Yang ◽  
Jun Qin ◽  
Xiaofeng Guo ◽  
Degang Zhou ◽  
Yaoming Ma
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Method Development ◽  
Sensible Heat Flux ◽  
Atmospheric Stability ◽  
Surface Energy Budget ◽  
New Method ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Sensible Heat ◽  
Hourly Data

Abstract To clarify the thermal forcing of the Tibetan Plateau, long-term coarse-temporal-resolution data from the China Meteorological Administration have been widely used to estimate surface sensible heat flux by bulk methods in many previous studies; however, these estimates have seldom been evaluated against observations. This study at first evaluates three widely used bulk schemes against Tibet instrumental flux data. The evaluation shows that large uncertainties exist in the heat flux estimated by these schemes; in particular, upward heat fluxes in winter may be significantly underestimated, because diurnal variations of atmospheric stability were not taken into account. To improve the estimate, a new method is developed to disaggregate coarse-resolution meteorological data to hourly according to statistical relationships derived from high-resolution experimental data, and then sensible heat flux is estimated from the hourly data by a well-validated flux scheme. Evaluations against heat flux observations in summer and against net radiation observations in winter indicate that the new method performs much better than previous schemes, and therefore it provides a robust basis for quantifying the Tibetan surface energy budget.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Noah-MP Land-Model Uncertainties over Sparsely Vegetated Sites on the Tibet Plateau

Atmosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 458
Author(s):  
Guo Zhang ◽  
Fei Chen ◽  
Yueli Chen ◽  
Jianduo Li ◽  
Xindong Peng
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Sensible Heat Flux ◽  
Limiting Factors ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Annual Total ◽  
The Impact

The water budget and energy exchange over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) region play an important role on the Asian monsoon. However, it is not well presented in the current land surface models (LSMs). In this study, uncertainties in the Noah with multiparameterization (Noah-MP) LSM are assessed through physics ensemble simulations in three sparsely vegetated sites located in the central TP. The impact of soil organic matter on energy flux and water cycles, along with the influence of uncertainties in precipitation are explored using observations at those sites during the third Tibetan Plateau Experiment from 1August2014 to31July2015. The greatest uncertainties are in the subprocesses of the canopy resistance, soil moisture limiting factors for evaporation, runoff (RNF) and ground water, and surface-layer parameterization. These uncertain subprocesses do not change across the different precipitation datasets. More precipitation can increase the annual total net radiation (Rn), latent heat flux (LH) and RNF, but decrease sensible heat flux (SH). Soil organic matter enlarges the annual total LH by ~26% but lessens the annual total Rn, SH, and RNF by ~7%, 7%, and 39%, respectively. Its effect on the LH and RNF at the Nagqu site, which has a sand soil texture type, is greater than that at the other two sites with sandy loam. This study highlights the importance of precipitation uncertainties and the effect of soil organic matter on the Noah-MP land-model simulations. It provides a guidance to improve the Noah-MP LSM further and hence the land-atmosphere interactions simulated by weather and climate models over the TP region.

scholarly journals Land-surface processes and summer-cloud-precipitation characteristics in the Tibetan Plateau and their effects on downstream weather: a review and perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 500-515 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunfei Fu ◽  
Yaoming Ma ◽  
Lei Zhong ◽  
Yuanjian Yang ◽  
Xueliang Guo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Sensible Heat Flux ◽  
Vertical Direction ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Surface Processes ◽  
Convective Precipitation ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Land Surface Processes

Abstract Correct understanding of the land-surface processes and cloud-precipitation processes in the Tibetan Plateau (TP) is an important prerequisite for the study and forecast of the downstream activities of weather systems and one of the key points for understanding the global atmospheric movement. In order to show the achievements that have been made, this paper reviews the progress on the observations for the atmospheric boundary layer, land-surface heat fluxes, cloud-precipitation distributions and vertical structures by using ground- and space-based multiplatform, multisensor instruments and the effect of the cloud system in the TP on the downstream weather. The results show that the form drag related to the topography, land–atmosphere momentum and scalar fluxes is an important part of the parameterization process. The sensible heat flux decreased especially in the central and northern TP caused by the decrease in wind speeds and the differences in the ground-air temperatures. Observations show that the cloud and precipitation over the TP have a strong diurnal variation. Studies also show the compressed-air column in the troposphere by the higher-altitude terrain of the TP makes particles inside clouds vary at a shorter distance in the vertical direction than those in the non-plateau area so that precipitation intensity over the TP is usually small with short duration, and the vertical structure of the convective precipitation over the TP is obviously different from that in other regions. In addition, the influence of the TP on severe weather downstream is preliminarily understood from the mechanism. It is necessary to use model simulations and observation techniques to reveal the difference between cloud precipitation in the TP and non-plateau areas in order to understand the cloud microphysical parameters over the TP and the processes of the land boundary layer affecting cloud, precipitation and weather in the downstream regions.

scholarly journals Improved parameterization of snow albedo in WRF + Noah. Part II: Applicability to snow estimates for the Tibetan Plateau

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lian Liu ◽  
Yaoming Ma ◽  
Massimo Menenti ◽  
Rongmingzhu Su ◽  
Nan Yao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Snow Depth ◽  
Sensible Heat Flux ◽  
Parameterization Scheme ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Sensible Heat ◽  
Snow Albedo

Abstract. Snow albedo is important to the land surface energy balance and to the water cycle. During snowfall and subsequent snowmelt, snow albedo is usually parameterized as functions of snow related variables in land surface models. However, the default snow albedo scheme in the widely used Noah land surface model shows evident shortcomings in land-atmosphere interactions estimates during snow events on the Tibetan Plateau. Here, we demonstrate that our improved snow albedo scheme performs well after including snow depth as an additional factor. By coupling the WRF and Noah models, this study comprehensively evaluates the performance of the improved snow albedo scheme in simulating eight snow events on the Tibetan Plateau. The modeling results are compared with WRF run with the default Noah scheme and in situ observations. The improved snow albedo scheme significantly outperforms the default Noah scheme in relation to air temperature, albedo and sensible heat flux estimates, by alleviating cold bias estimates, albedo overestimates and sensible heat flux underestimates, respectively. This in turn contributes to more accurate reproductions of snow event evolution. The averaged RMSE relative reductions (and relative increase in correlation coefficients) for air temperature, albedo, sensible heat flux and snow depth reach 27 % (5 %), 32 % (69 %), 13 % (17 %) and 21 % (108 %) respectively. These results demonstrate the strong potential of our improved snow albedo parameterization scheme for snow event simulations on the Tibetan Plateau. Our study provides a theoretical reference for researchers committed to further improving the snow albedo parameterization scheme.

scholarly journals Improved parameterization of snow albedo in Noah coupled with Weather Research and Forecasting: applicability to snow estimates for the Tibetan Plateau

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (9) ◽  
pp. 4967-4981
Author(s):  
Lian Liu ◽  
Yaoming Ma ◽  
Massimo Menenti ◽  
Rongmingzhu Su ◽  
Nan Yao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Snow Depth ◽  
Sensible Heat Flux ◽  
Weather Research And Forecasting ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Sensible Heat ◽  
Snow Albedo

Abstract. Snow albedo is important to the land surface energy balance and to the water cycle. During snowfall and subsequent snowmelt, snow albedo is usually parameterized as functions of snow-related variables in land surface models. However, the default snow albedo scheme in the widely used Noah land surface model shows evident shortcomings in land–atmosphere interaction estimates during snow events on the Tibetan Plateau. Here, we demonstrate that our improved snow albedo scheme performs well after including snow depth as an additional factor. By coupling the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) and Noah models, this study comprehensively evaluates the performance of the improved snow albedo scheme in simulating eight snow events on the Tibetan Plateau. The modeling results are compared with WRF run with the default Noah scheme and in situ observations. The improved snow albedo scheme significantly outperforms the default Noah scheme in relation to air temperature, albedo and sensible heat flux estimates by alleviating cold bias estimates, albedo overestimates and sensible heat flux underestimates, respectively. This in turn contributes to more accurate reproductions of snow event evolution. The averaged root mean square error (RMSE) relative reductions (and relative increase in correlation coefficients) for air temperature, albedo, sensible heat flux and snow depth reach 27 % (5 %), 32 % (69 %), 13 % (17 %) and 21 % (108 %), respectively. These results demonstrate the strong potential of our improved snow albedo parameterization scheme for snow event simulations on the Tibetan Plateau. Our study provides a theoretical reference for researchers committed to further improving the snow albedo parameterization scheme.

Estimation of Land Surface Heat Fluxes over the Tibetan Plateau Using GMS Data

2007 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuichiro Oku ◽  
Hirohiko Ishikawa ◽  
Zhongbo Su
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Sensible Heat Flux ◽  
Surface Heat ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Sensible Heat ◽  
Surface Heat Fluxes ◽  
Diurnal Range

Abstract A Surface Energy Balance System (SEBS) originally developed for the NOAA Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer was applied to Geostationary Meteorological Satellite (GMS)-5 Visible/Infrared Spin-Scan Radiometer data that were supplemented with other meteorological data. GMS-5, which is a geostationary satellite, recorded continuous hourly information. Surface temperatures obtained from the GMS-5 data were entered into SEBS to estimate the hourly regional distribution of the surface heat fluxes over the Tibetan Plateau. The estimated fluxes are verified by using corresponding field observations. The diurnal cycle of estimated fluxes agreed well with the field measurements. For example, the diurnal range of the estimated sensible heat flux decreases from June to August. This reflects the change of dry to wet surface characteristics resulting from frequent precipitation during the summer monsoon. Over the Tibetan Plateau, the diurnal range of the surface temperature is as large as the annual range, so that the resultant sensible heat flux has a large diurnal variation. Thus, the hourly estimation based on the GMS data may contribute to a better understanding of the land surface–atmosphere interaction in this critical area.

Accelerated Changes of Environmental Conditions on the Tibetan Plateau Caused by Climate Change

2011 ◽  
Vol 24 (24) ◽  
pp. 6540-6550 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Zhong ◽  
Zhongbo Su ◽  
Yaoming Ma ◽  
Mhd. Suhyb Salama ◽  
José A. Sobrino
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Asian Monsoon ◽  
Sensible Heat Flux ◽  
Surface Air Temperature ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Sensible Heat ◽  
Land Surface Parameters

Abstract Variations of land surface parameters over the Tibetan Plateau have great importance on local energy and water cycles, the Asian monsoon, and climate change studies. In this paper, the NOAA/NASA Pathfinder Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) Land (PAL) dataset is used to retrieve the land surface temperature (LST), the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and albedo, from 1982 to 2000. Simultaneously, meteorological parameters and land surface heat fluxes are acquired from the 40-yr European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Re-Analysis (ERA-40) dataset and the Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS), respectively. Results show that from 1982 to 2000 both the LST and the surface air temperature increased on the Tibetan Plateau (TP). The rate of increase of the LST was 0.26±0.16 K decade−1 and that of the surface air temperature was 0.29 ± 0.16 K decade−1, which exceeded the increase in the Northern Hemisphere (0.054 K decade−1). The plateau-wide annual mean precipitation increased at 2.54 mm decade−1, which indicates that the TP is becoming wetter. The 10-m wind speed decreased at about 0.05±0.03 m s−1 decade−1 from 1982 to 2000, which manifests a steady decline of the Asian monsoon wind. Due to the diminishing ground–air temperature gradient and subdued surface wind speed, the sensible heat flux showed a decline of 3.37 ± 2.19 W m−2 decade−1. The seasonal cycle of land surface parameters could clearly be linked to the patterns of the Asian monsoon. The spatial patterns of sensible heat flux, latent heat flux, and their variance could also be recognized.

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