scholarly journals Abundant Precipitation in Qilian Mountains Generated from the Recycled Moisture over the Adjacent Arid Hexi Corridor, Northwest China

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (23) ◽  
pp. 3354
Author(s):  
Zhihua Zhang ◽  
Qiudong Zhao ◽  
Shiqiang Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapor ◽  
Water Cycle ◽  
Precipitable Water ◽  
Northwest China ◽  
Hexi Corridor ◽  
Qilian Mountains ◽  
Mountain Areas ◽  
Reanalysis Dataset ◽  
Weather Forecasts ◽  
Endorheic Basin

The observed precipitation was suggestive of abundant precipitation in upstream Qilian mountains and low precipitation in the downstream oasis and desert in an endorheic basin. However, precipitation in mountains generated from the recycled moisture over oasis and desert areas has rarely been studied. The climatological patterns of water vapor from 1980 to 2017 in the Qilian Mountain Region (QMR) and Hexi Corridor Region (HCR) were investigated by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Interim reanalysis dataset and the Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Application, Version 2 reanalysis dataset. The results suggest that the precipitable water content decreases from the adjacent to the mountain areas. There are two channels that transport water vapor from the HCR to the QMR in the low troposphere (surface—600 hPa), suggesting that parts of recycled moisture generated from evapotranspiration over the oasis and desert of the HCR is transported to the QMR, contributing to the abundant precipitation in the QMR. This indicates that the transport mechanism is probably because of the “cold and wet island effect” of the cryosphere in QMR. This is likely one of the essential mechanisms of the water cycle in endorheic river basins, which has rarely been reported.

scholarly journals Precipitable Water Vapor Retrieval and Analysis by Multiple Data Sources: Ground-Based GNSS, Radio Occultation, Radiosonde, Microwave Satellite, and NWP Reanalysis Data

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qin Zhang ◽  
Junhua Ye ◽  
Shuangcheng Zhang ◽  
Fei Han
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapor ◽  
Radio Occultation ◽  
Weather Prediction ◽  
Precipitable Water ◽  
Reanalysis Data ◽  
Precipitable Water Vapor ◽  
Reanalysis Dataset ◽  
High Positive Correlation ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Ecmwf Reanalysis

Precipitable water vapor (PWV) content detection is vital to heavy rain prediction; up to now, lots of different measuring methods and devices are developed to observe PWV. In general, these methods can be divided into two categories, ground-based or space-based. In this study, we analyze the advantages and disadvantages of these technologies, compare retrieved atmosphere parameters by different RO (radio occultation) observations, like FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC (Formosa Satellite-3 and Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate) and FY3C (China Feng Yun 3C), and assess retrieved PWV precision with a radiosonde. Besides, we interpolate PWV from NWP (numerical weather prediction) reanalysis data for more comparison and analysis with RO. Specifically, ground-based GNSS is of high precision and continuous availability to monitor PWV distribution; in our paper, we show cases to validate and compare GNSS retrieving PWV with a radiosonde. Except GNSS PWV, we give two different radio occultation sounding results, COSMIC and FY3C, to validate the precision to monitor PWV from space in a global area. FY3C results containing Beidou (China Beidou Global Satellite Navigation System) radio occultation events need to be emphasized. So, in our study, we get the retrieved atmospheric profiles from GPS and Beidou radio occultation observations and derive atmosphere PWV by a variational retrieval method based on these data over a global area. Besides, other space-based methods, such as microwave satellite, are also useful in detecting PWV distribution situations in a global area from space; in this study, we present a case of retrieved PWV using microwave satellite observation. NWP reanalysis data ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts) ERA-Interim and the new-generation reanalysis data ERA5 provide global grid atmosphere parameters, like surface temperature, different-level pressures, and precipitable water. We show cases of retrieved PWV and validate the precision with radiosonde results and compare new reanalysis dataset ERA5 with ERA-Interim, finding that ERA5 can get higher precision-retrieved atmosphere parameters and PWV. In the end, from our comparison, we find that the retrieved PWV from RO (FY3C and COSMIC) and ECMWF reanalysis data (ERA-Interim and ERA5) have a high positive correlation and that almost all R2 values exceed 0.9, compare retrieved PWV with a radiosonde, and find that whether it is RO and ECMWF reanalysis data, ground-based GNSS, or microwave satellite, they all show small biases.

scholarly journals Verification of NWP Model Analyses and Radiosonde Humidity Data with GPS Precipitable Water Vapor Estimates during AMMA

2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 1085-1101 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Bock ◽  
M. Nuret
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapor ◽  
Diurnal Cycle ◽  
Bias Correction ◽  
Precipitable Water ◽  
Precipitable Water Vapor ◽  
Precipitation Forecast ◽  
Weather Forecasts ◽  
Multidisciplinary Analysis ◽  
Correction Scheme ◽  
Nwp Model

Abstract This paper assesses the performance of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts-Integrated Forecast System (ECMWF-IFS) operational analysis and NCEP–NCAR reanalyses I and II over West Africa, using precipitable water vapor (PWV) retrievals from a network of ground-based GPS receivers operated during the African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis (AMMA). The model analyses show reasonable agreement with GPS PWV from 5-daily to monthly means. Errors increase at shorter time scales, indicating that these global NWP models have difficulty in handling the diurnal cycle and moist processes at the synoptic scale. The ECMWF-IFS analysis shows better agreement with GPS PWV than do the NCEP–NCAR reanalyses (the RMS error is smaller by a factor of 2). The model changes in ECMWF-IFS were not clearly reflected in the PWV error over the period of study (2005–08). Radiosonde humidity biases are diagnosed compared to GPS PWV. The impacts of these biases are evidenced in all three model analyses at the level of the diurnal cycle. The results point to a dry bias in the ECMWF analysis in 2006 when Vaisala RS80-A soundings were assimilated, and a diurnally varying bias when Vaisala RS92 or Modem M2K2 soundings were assimilated: dry during day and wet during night. The overall bias is offset to wetter values in NCEP–NCAR reanalysis II, but the diurnal variation of the bias is observed too. Radiosonde bias correction is necessary to reduce NWP model analysis humidity biases and improve precipitation forecast skill. The study points to a wet bias in the Vaisala RS92 data at nighttime and suggests that caution be used when establishing a bias correction scheme.

scholarly journals The North American Monsoon GPS Transect Experiment 2013

2016 ◽  
Vol 97 (11) ◽  
pp. 2103-2115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yolande L. Serra ◽  
David K. Adams ◽  
Carlos Minjarez-Sosa ◽  
James M. Moker ◽  
Avelino F. Arellano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapor ◽  
North American ◽  
Water Cycle ◽  
Precipitable Water ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
North American Monsoon ◽  
Atmospheric Sciences ◽  
The North ◽  
Northwestern Mexico ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Northwestern Mexico experiences large variations in water vapor on seasonal time scales in association with the North American monsoon, as well as during the monsoon associated with upper-tropospheric troughs, mesoscale convective systems, tropical easterly waves, and tropical cyclones. Together these events provide more than half of the annual rainfall to the region. A sufficient density of meteorological observations is required to properly observe, understand, and forecast the important processes contributing to the development of organized convection over northwestern Mexico. The stability of observations over long time periods is also of interest to monitor seasonal and longer-time-scale variability in the water cycle. For more than a decade, the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS) has been used to obtain tropospheric precipitable water vapor (PWV) for applications in the atmospheric sciences. There is particular interest in establishing these systems where conventional operational meteorological networks are not possible due to the lack of financial or human resources to support the network. Here, we provide an overview of the North American Monsoon GPS Transect Experiment 2013 in northwestern Mexico for the study of mesoscale processes and the impact of PWV observations on high-resolution model forecasts of organized convective events during the 2013 monsoon. Some highlights are presented, as well as a look forward at GPS networks with surface meteorology (GPS-Met) planned for the region that will be capable of capturing a wider range of water vapor variability in both space and time across Mexico and into the southwestern United States.

scholarly journals Water Vapor Changes Affect Cross-Seasonal Strong Drought Events in the Eastern Region of Northwest China

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Zhang ◽  
Kang Liu ◽  
Yaohui Li ◽  
Wei Shen ◽  
Yulong Ren ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapor ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Northwest China ◽  
Water Vapor Transport ◽  
Eastern Region ◽  
The South ◽  
Vapor Flux ◽  
Weather Forecasts ◽  
The North ◽  
Depth Study

Drought in eastern Northwest China (ENC) is severely affected by water vapor conditions. An in-depth study of the primary sources of water vapor and its characteristics, at intraseasonal and interannual timescales, was conducted. This information is crucial for further study of the causes and mechanisms of extreme droughts and floods in the ENC. This study evaluated the spatial distribution and transport characteristics of water vapor over ENC during the 1981–2019 period based on the fifth generation of the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts atmospheric reanalyzes data of the global climate (ERA5). We studied the water vapor transport routes, water vapor convergence, water vapor budgets as well as the changes in water vapor fluxes and budgets over time in four areas surrounding ENC. The Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, Caspian Sea, Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal, and the South China Sea were the main sources of water vapor in ENC, supplemented by mid to high-latitude continental sources. The monthly change in water vapor flux in ENC exhibited the peak on July. The transport of water vapor in ENC was mainly toward the east and north. For most cross-seasonal drought events, the water vapor output is the main way in the south boundary and the west boundary. However, for the longest duration of cross-seasonal strong drought events, it is characterized by that the water vapor output is the main way in the south boundary, while the water vapor input in the north boundary is obviously weak. Water vapor paths in cross-seasonal strong drought events are analyzed, by which the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory model (HYSPLIT). The intensity of the subtropical high in the western Pacific is weak and the position is south, which corresponds to the occurrence of cross-seasonal strong drought in the ENC.

scholarly journals Glacier Changes in the Qilian Mountains, Northwest China, between the 1960s and 2015

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 623 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing He ◽  
Ninglian Wang ◽  
An’an Chen ◽  
Xuewen Yang ◽  
Ting Hua
Keyword(s):  
Northwest China ◽  
Hexi Corridor ◽  
Qilian Mountains ◽  
The West ◽  
Ice Volume ◽  
Current State ◽  
Glacier Changes ◽  
The Qilian Mountains ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Arid Northwest China

Glaciers in the Qilian Mountains are important sources of fresh-water for sustainable development in the Hexi Corridor in the arid northwest China. Over the last few decades, glaciers have generally shrunk across the globe due to climate warming. In order to understand the current state of glaciers in the Qilian Mountains, we compiled a new inventory of glaciers in the region using Landsat Operational Land Imager (OLI) images acquired in 2015, and identified 2748 glaciers that covered an area of 1539.30 ± 49.50 km2 with an ice volume of 81.69 ± 7.40 km3, among which the Shule River basin occupied the largest portion of glaciers (24.8% in number, 32.3% in area, and 35.6% in ice volume). In comparison to previous inventories, glacier area was found to shrink by 396.89 km2 (20.5%) in total, and 446 glaciers with an area of 44.79 km2 disappeared over the period from the 1960s to 2015. This situation was primarily caused by the increase in air temperature, and also related with the size of glacier and some local topographic parameters. In addition, the change of glaciers in the Qilian Mountains showed a distinct spatial pattern, i.e., their shrinking rate was large in the east and small in the west.

scholarly journals Evaluation and Calibration of MODIS Near-Infrared Precipitable Water Vapor over China Using GNSS Observations and ERA-5 Reanalysis Dataset

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 2761
Author(s):  
Dantong Zhu ◽  
Kefei Zhang ◽  
Liu Yang ◽  
Suqin Wu ◽  
Longjiang Li
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapor ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Grid Point ◽  
Precipitable Water ◽  
Precipitable Water Vapor ◽  
Global Navigation Satellite Systems ◽  
Calibration Model ◽  
Systematic Bias ◽  
Reanalysis Dataset ◽  
The Mean

Water vapor is one of the most important parameters in climatic studies. MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) is a key instrument and can provide spatially continuous precipitable water vapor (PWV) products. This study was focused on the performance evaluation of the MODIS near-infrared PWV product (MOD-NIR-PWV) over China. For a comprehensive assessment of the performance of MOD-NIR-PWV, PWV retrieved from the measurements at the global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) stations (i.e., GNSS-PWV) and the ERA5 reanalysis dataset (ERA-PWV) from 2013 to 2018 were used as the reference. To investigate the suitability of using ERA-PWV as the reference for the evaluation, ERA-PWV was compared to the high-accuracy GNSS-PWV at 246 GNSS stations and PWV retrieved from radiosonde observations (RS-PWV) at 78 radiosonde stations over China. The results showed that the mean bias and mean root-mean-square (RMS) of the differences between ERA-PWV and GNSS-PWV across all the stations were 0.5 and 1.7 mm, respectively, and the mean correlation coefficient of the two datasets was above 0.96. The values were 0.4 and 1.9 mm and 0.97, respectively, for the differences between ERA-PWV and RS-PWV. This suggests the suitability of ERA-PWV as the reference for the evaluation of MOD-NIR-PWV. In addition, MOD-NIR-PWV was compared with both GNSS-PWV and ERA-PWV, and their mean bias and mean RMS were 2.9 and 3.8 mm (compared to GNSS-PWV) and 2.1 and 3.0 mm (compared to ERA-PWV), respectively. The positive bias values and the non-normal distribution of the differences between MOD-NIR-PWV and both reference datasets imply that a considerable systematic overestimation of MOD-NIR-PWV over China may exist. To mitigate the systematic bias, ERA-PWV was utilized as the sample data due to its spatial continuities, and a grid-based calibration model was developed based on the annual and semiannual periodicities in the differences between MOD-NIR-PWV and ERA-PWV at each grid point. After applying the calibration model to correct MOD-NIR-PWV, the calibrated MOD-NIR-PWV was compared with ERA-PWV and GNSS-PWV for precision and accuracy analysis, respectively. The comparison showed that the model could significantly improve the precision by 94% and accuracy by 53%, which manifested the effectiveness of the calibration model in improving the performance of MOD-NIR-PWV over China.

scholarly journals The Regional Water Cycle and Heavy Spring Rainfall in Iowa: Observational and Modeling Analyses from the IFloodS Campaign

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (11) ◽  
pp. 2763-2784 ◽  
Author(s):  
Young-Hee Ryu ◽  
James A. Smith ◽  
Mary Lynn Baeck ◽  
Luciana K. Cunha ◽  
Elie Bou-Zeid ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapor ◽  
Heavy Rainfall ◽  
Water Cycle ◽  
Precipitable Water ◽  
Water Vapor Transport ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Water Vapor Flux ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Vapor Flux ◽  
Regional Water

Abstract The regional water cycle is examined with a special focus on water vapor transport in Iowa during the Iowa Flood Studies (IFloodS) campaign period, April–June 2013. The period had exceptionally large rainfall accumulations, and rainfall was distributed over an unusually large number of storm days. Radar-derived rainfall fields covering the 200 000 km2 study region; precipitable water from a network of global positioning system (GPS) measurements; and vertically integrated water vapor flux derived from GPS precipitable water, radar velocity–azimuth display (VAD) wind profiles, and radiosonde humidity profiles are utilized. They show that heavy rainfall is relatively weakly correlated with precipitable water and precipitable water change, with somewhat stronger direct relationships to water vapor flux. Thermodynamic properties tied to the vertical distribution of water vapor play an important role in determining heavy rainfall distribution, especially for periods of strong southerly water vapor flux. The diurnal variation of the water cycle during the IFloodS field campaign is pronounced, especially for rainfall and water vapor flux. To examine the potential effects of relative humidity in the lower atmosphere on heavy rainfall, numerical simulations are performed. It is found that low-level moisture can greatly affect heavy rainfall amount under favorable large-scale environmental conditions.

Retrieval of precipitable water vapor using MFRSR and comparison with other multisensors over the semi-arid area of northwest China

2016 ◽  
Vol 172-173 ◽  
pp. 83-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xia Li ◽  
Lei Zhang ◽  
Xianjie Cao ◽  
Jiannong Quan ◽  
Tianhe Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapor ◽  
Precipitable Water ◽  
Northwest China ◽  
Arid Area ◽  
Precipitable Water Vapor ◽  
Semi Arid

scholarly journals Establishment of a regional precipitable water vapor model based on the combination of GNSS and ECMWF data

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yibin Yao ◽  
Xingyu Xu ◽  
Yufeng Hu
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapor ◽  
Temporal Distribution ◽  
Precipitable Water ◽  
Satellite System ◽  
Precipitable Water Vapor ◽  
Phase Changes ◽  
Fusion Model ◽  
Weather Forecasts ◽  
Stability Structure ◽  
Global Navigation Satellite

Abstract. Water vapor is the engine of the weather. Owing to its large latent energy, the phase changes of water vapor significantly affect the vertical stability, structure and energy balance of the atmosphere. Many techniques are used for measuring the water vapor in the atmosphere such as radiosondes, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and water vapor radiometer (WVR). In addition, the method that uses European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) data is an important method for studying the variations in precipitable water vapor (PWV). This paper used both GNSS PWV and ECMWF PWV to establish a city-level local PWV fusion model using a Gaussian Processes method. The results indicate that by integrating the precipitable water vapor obtained from GNSS and ECMWF data, the accuracy of fusion PWV is improved by 1.89 mm in active tropospheric conditions and 2.61 mm in quiescent tropospheric conditions compared with ECMWF-PWV, reaching 3.87 mm and 3.97 mm, respectively. Furthermore, the proposed fusion model is used to study the spatial and temporal distribution of PWV in Hong Kong. It is found that the accumulation of PWV corresponds to monsoon and rainfall events.

scholarly journals A New Typhoon-Monitoring Method Using Precipitation Water Vapor

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (23) ◽  
pp. 2845 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qingzhi Zhao ◽  
Xiongwei Ma ◽  
Wanqiang Yao ◽  
Yibin Yao
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapor ◽  
Weather Forecasting ◽  
Simulated Data ◽  
Precipitable Water ◽  
Atmospheric Water Vapor ◽  
Atmospheric Water ◽  
Reanalysis Dataset ◽  
Monitoring Method ◽  
Fifth Generation ◽  
True Values

Some seasonal natural floods can be attributed to typhoons that bring a large amount of atmospheric water vapor, and variations in atmospheric water vapor can be reflected in the precipitable water vapor (PWV). Therefore, monitoring typhoons based on the anomalous variations of the PWV is the focus of this paper. The anomalous variations of ERA5(fifth-generation reanalysis dataset of the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasting)-derived PWV with other atmospheric parameters related to typhoons, such as precipitation, pressure, and wind, were first analyzed during typhoon periods. After that, a typhoon-monitoring method with and without considering the typhoon’s acceleration was proposed according to the time of the maximum value of the PWV during the typhoon period in this paper. Corresponding experiments based on the measured and simulated data were performed to evaluate the proposed method. The experimental measurement of Typhoon Hato revealed that the velocity of the typhoon’s movement estimated by the proposed method was close to the observed value, and the maximum difference between the estimated and observed values was less than 3 km/h. A simulated experiment was also carried out in which the acceleration of the typhoon’s movement was also considered. The simulated results verified the reliability and feasibility of the proposed method. The estimated velocity and acceleration of the typhoon’s movement were almost equal to the true values under the cases of using different numbers of stations and selecting various typhoon locations. Such results obtained above indicate that the method proposed in this paper has a significant potential application value for typhoon monitoring.

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