scholarly journals Characteristics of the Precipitation Diurnal Variation and Underlying Mechanisms Over Jiangsu, Eastern China, During Warm Season

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiyu Mu ◽  
Anning Huang ◽  
Yang Wu ◽  
Qi Xu ◽  
Yuanyuan Zheng ◽  
...  

Based on the hourly precipitation observed from ∼1800 automatic rain gauges during 2013–2017, characteristics of precipitation diurnal variation and underlying mechanisms over Jiangsu Province, eastern China, during the warm season (May to September) have been revealed in this study. Results show that the precipitation amount (PA), frequency (PF), and intensity (PI) are zonally distributed over Jiangsu. The precipitation shows distinct diurnal cycle and zonal distribution. The large precipitation is located over the southwest side of the Jiangsu section of Yangtze River (JSYR). From midnight to noon, the precipitation expands northeastward, but the precipitation shrinks southeastward from noon to midnight. Meanwhile, the PA is larger during the daytime than that during the nighttime over most Jiangsu. In addition, the PA shows two diurnal peaks, with one in the early morning mainly resulting from the long-duration rainfall and the other in the afternoon resulting from the short-duration rainfall. The total rainfall is largely contributed by the long-duration rainfall. During the whole warm season, water vapor convergence (divergence) and ascending (sinking) movements are consistent, corresponding to the long-duration precipitation diurnal cycles. The contribution of rainfall with long (short) duration to the total rainfall over most areas shows very distinct sub-seasonal variations with a clear decreasing (increasing) trend from pre-Meiyu through Meiyu to post-Meiyu. Among the three subperiods in a warm season, the PA and diurnal cycle of the total rainfall are mostly contributed by those during the Meiyu period. The long-duration precipitation is closely related to the enhancement of the water vapor convergence during the pre-Meiyu period. However, during the Meiyu and post-Meiyu periods, the long-duration precipitation is more consistent with the dynamic lift since the water vapor is abundant. Concluded from the cluster analysis, precipitation spatial distributions are closely associated with the underlying surface, such as the Yangtze River, big cities, Lake Taihu, Lake Hongze, and complex coastal lines. The diurnal variation of the rainfall over different underlying surfaces shows respective diurnal cycle features.

2005 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
pp. 1626-1636 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomonori Sato ◽  
Fujio Kimura

Abstract Convective rainfall often shows a clear diurnal cycle. The nighttime peak of convective activity prevails in various regions near the world's mountains. The influence of the water vapor and convective instability upon nocturnal precipitation is investigated using a numerical model and observed data. Recent developments in GPS meteorology allow the estimation of precipitable water vapor (PWV) with a high temporal resolution. A dense network has been established in Japan. The GPS analysis in August 2000 provides the following results: In the early evening, a high-GPS-PWV region forms over mountainous areas because of the convergence of low-level moisture, which gradually propagates toward the adjacent plain before midnight. A region of convection propagates simultaneously eastward into the plain. The precipitating frequency correlates fairly well with the GPS-PWV and attains a maximum value at night over the plain. The model also provides similar characteristics in the diurnal cycles of rainfall and high PWV. Abundant moisture accumulates over the mountainous areas in the afternoon and then advects continuously toward the plain by the ambient wind. The specific humidity greatly increases at about the 800-hPa level over the plain at night, and the PWV reaches its nocturnal maximum. The increase in the specific humidity causes an increase of equivalent potential temperature at about the 800-hPa level; as a result, the convective instability index becomes more unstable over the plain at night. These findings are consistent with the diurnal cycle of the observed precipitating frequency.


Atmosphere ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 368 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhixing Xie ◽  
Bo Sun

Intensive snowfall events (ISEs) have a profound impact on the society and economy in China during winter. Considering that the interaction between northerly cold advection and southerly water vapor transport (WVT) is generally an essential condition for the occurrence of ISEs in eastern China, this study investigates the different roles of anomalous southerly WVT and northerly cold advection during the ISEs in the North China (NC) and Yangtze River valley (YRV) regions based on a composite analysis of seventy ISE cases in NC and forty ISE cases in the YRV region from 1961 to 2014. The results indicate that the ISEs in NC are mainly associated with a significant pre-conditioning of water vapor over NC induced by southerly WVT anomalies over eastern China, whereas the ISEs in the YRV region are mainly associated with a strengthened Siberian High (SH) and strong northerly cold advection invading the YRV region. These results suggest a dominant role of anomalous southerly WVT in triggering the ISEs in NC and a dominant role of northerly cold advection in triggering the ISEs in the YRV region. The different roles of anomalous southerly WVT and northerly cold advection in the ISEs over the NC and YRV regions are largely attributed to the different winter climate in the NC and YRV regions—during winter, the NC (YRV) region is dominated by cold and dry (relatively warm and moist) air flow and hence southerly WVT (northerly cold advection) is the key factor for triggering the ISEs in NC (the YRV region).


Atmosphere ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 207
Author(s):  
Lizhu Yan ◽  
Xiuping Yao

Based on ERA-Interim data from June to July during 1981–2016 and daily meteorological dataset of China Surface Meteorological Stations (V3.0), 10 typical Yangtze-Huaihe cold shear lines (YCSL) over eastern China (28°~34° N, 110°~122° E) in summer are selected, and the structural characteristics of the YCSL during the evolution process are investigated by the composite analysis. The results indicate that the YCSL is horizontally in a northeast–southwest direction and vertically inclines northward from the lower layer to the upper layer. The vertical extension of the YCSL can reach 750 hPa, and its life time is about 54 h. The evolution process of the YCSL is affected by the comprehensive configuration of the high-level, medium-level, and low-level weather systems. The southward advancement, strengthening, and eastward movement of the north branch low-pressure trough over the Yangtze-Huaihe region at 850 hPa is a key factor for the evolution of the YCSL. Because the structural characteristics of the YCSL have obvious changes in the evolution process, the evolution process can be divided into the development stage, strong stage, and weakening stage. In terms of dynamic structures, the YCSL corresponds well with the axis of the positive vorticity belt, whose center is located at 850 hPa, and reaches the maximum in the strong stage. The YCSL is located in the non-divergence zone, and there are strong convergence centers located on its south side. The YCSL also locates in the ascending motion zone between two secondary circulations on the north and south sides, with the maximum ascending velocity in the strong stage, and its large-value area presents an upright structure. In the development stage, there is an ascending motion along the YCSL, but in the strong and weakening stages there are an ascending motion below 800 hPa and a descending motion above 800 hPa along the YCSL. In terms of thermal structures, the YCSL is located in the low temperature zone of the lower layer, and there is a high temperature zone around 500 hPa. Due to the dominant role of dry and cold airflow from the north, the YCSL locates in the dry and cold air during the development and strong stages, and then the warm and moist airflow from the south invades, resulting in the weakening of the YCSL. There is a convective unstable layer on the south side of the YCSL and a neutral layer on the north side. The water vapor gathers near the YCSL, and there are two water vapor convergence centers on the east and west sides of the YCSL, respectively. The water vapor convergence zone is mainly below 600 hPa in the low troposphere and the convergence center is located at around 900 hPa. The atmospheric baroclinicity is one of the reasons for the northward inclination of the YCSL.


2014 ◽  
Vol 45 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 1841-1857 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian Wu ◽  
Liya Zhang ◽  
Deming Zhao ◽  
Jianping Tang

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 1685
Author(s):  
Xiaofei Li ◽  
Ninglian Wang ◽  
Zhanhao Wu

The terrain effects of Qinling–Daba Mountains on reginal precipitation during a warm season were investigated in a two-month day-to-day experiment using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. According to the results from the terrain sensitivity experiment with lowered mountains, Qinling–Daba Mountains have been found to have an obvious effect on both the spatial-temporal distribution and diurnal cycle of reginal precipitation from July to August in 2019, where the Qinling Mountains mainly enhanced the precipitation around 34° N, and the Daba Mountains mainly enhanced it around 32° N at the time period of early morning and midnight. Horizontal distribution of water vapor and convective available potential energy (CAPE), as well as cross section of vertical velocity of wind and potential temperature has been studied to examine the key mechanisms for these two mountains’ effect. The existence of Qinling Mountains intercepted transportation of water vapor from South to North in the lower troposphere to across 34° N and caused an obvious enhancement of CAPE in the neighborhood, while the Daba Mountains intercepted the northward water vapor transportation to across 32° N and caused an enhanced CAPE nearby. The time period of the influence is in a good accordance with the diurnal cycle. In the cross-section, the existence of Qinling Mountains and Daba Mountains are found to stimulate the upward motion and unstable environment effectively at around 34° N and 32° N, separately. As a result, the existence of the two mountains lead to a favorable environment in water vapor, thermodynamic, and dynamic conditions for this warm season precipitation.


2010 ◽  
Vol 23 (24) ◽  
pp. 6684-6695 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weihua Yuan ◽  
Rucong Yu ◽  
Haoming Chen ◽  
Jian Li ◽  
Minghua Zhang

Abstract Subseasonal characteristics of the diurnal variation of the summer monsoon rainfall over central eastern China (25°–40°N, 110°–120°E) are analyzed using hourly station rain gauge data. Results show that the rainfall in the monsoon rain belt is dominated by the long-duration rainfall events (≥7 h) with early-morning peaks. The long-duration rainfall events and early-morning diurnal peaks experience subseasonal movement that is similar to that of the monsoon rain belt. When the monsoon rainfall is separated into the active and break periods, the long-duration early-morning precipitation dominates the active period, which is in sharp contrast to the short-duration (≤6 h) rainfall with leading late-afternoon diurnal peaks during the break period. The combination of different diurnal features of monsoon rainfall in the active and break monsoon periods also explains the less coherent diurnal phases of summer mean rainfall over central eastern China. The cause of the early-morning peak of rainfall during the active monsoon period is discussed.


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