青藏高原地区TRMM PR地面降雨率的修正

为掌握并改进青藏高原地区TRMM卫星降水雷达 (precipitation radar,PR) 地面降雨率准确度,统计分析了2005—2007年TRMM PR 2A25资料和逐小时地面雨量计,结果表明:青藏高原地区TRMM PR地面降雨率在层云降水时平均偏低35%,在对流云降水时平均偏高42%。Z-R关系的适用性是PR产生偏差的原因之一,研究将TRMM PR层云降水模型中20℃层Z-R关系的初始系数A和b分别修正为0.0288和0.6752,对流云降水模型中20℃层的初始系数A和b分别修正为0.0406和0.5809,得到两类降水模型0℃层与20℃层之间不同高度Z-R关系的更新系数。检验结果表明,修正降水模型后能够提高青藏高原地面降雨率测量的准确度。     

TRMM测雨雷达对1998年东亚降水季节性特征的研究

利用热带测雨计划卫星上的测雨雷达得到的降水资料,对1998年东亚降水,特别是中国大陆东部、东海和南海的降水,进行了分析研究,并对比了热带降水研究结果。年统计结果表明,东亚地区层状云降水出现概率极高(比面积达83.7％),对流云降水的比面积仅占13.6％,然而两者对总降水量的贡献相当。结果还表明,暖对流云降水出现的比例和对总降水量的贡献很小。在季节尺度,对流云和层状云降水的比与两者的面积比成比例关系。除夏季外,测雨雷达降水量与GPCP降水量可比性好。研究结果还指出:在中纬度陆地和海洋上对流云和层状云的比降水量和比面积呈相反方向作季节性南北移动,这一活动与东亚季风变化一致;该地区降水的季节性变化还表现为降水垂直廓线的变化。除冬季外,南海地区降水垂直结构呈热带特征。CRAD分析表明,对流云降水的地面雨强变化大,尤其在陆地上,而层状云多表现为地面弱降水。     

基于TRMM卫星资料对四川盆地降水的三维结构特征分析

利用TRMM卫星多种探测仪器得到的观测资料,分析研究2010年7月15~18日由西南低涡引发的四川盆地区域性暴雨天气过程,重点揭示了该次过程降水的三维结构特征。结果表明:红外和微波亮温数据均能从一定侧面反映低涡云系的降水特征;西南低涡引发的降水属于中尺度系统降水,层云降水对总降水的贡献率超过90%,存在明显的亮带结构;大范围降水区内包含一条主雨带和若干独立的对流性雨团,表现为大范围层云降水围绕对流降水的结构特征,对流性降水云顶最高能发展到17km,局部最大降水率出现在2~5km高度;降水凸起部分为独立的对流降水云团,呈塔状立体结构。      

Diurnal phase of late-night against late-afternoon of stratiform and convective precipitation in summer southern contiguous China

Using the tropical rainfall measuring mission (TRMM) Precipitation Radar (PR) observations combined with the surface rain gauge data during 1998–2006, the robust diurnal features of summer stratiform and convective precipitation over the southern contiguous China are revealed by exploring the diurnal variations of rain rate and precipitation profile. The precipitation over the southern contiguous China exhibits two distinguishing diurnal phases: late-night (2200–0600 LST) and late-afternoon (1400–2200 LST), dependent on the location, precipitation type and duration time. Generally, the maximum rain rate and the highest profile of stratiform precipitation occur in the late-afternoon (late-night) over the southeastern (southwestern) China, while most of the stratiform short-duration rain rate tends to present late-afternoon peaks over the southern China. For convective precipitation, the maximum rain rate and the highest profile occur in the late-afternoon over most of the southern contiguous China, while the convective long-duration rain rate exhibits late-night peaks over the southwestern China. Without regional dependence, the convective precipitation exhibits much larger amplitude of diurnal variations in both near surface rain rate and vertical extension compared with stratiform precipitation and the convective rain top rises most rapidly between noon and afternoon. However, there are two distinctive sub-regions. The diurnal phases of precipitation there are very weakly dependent on precipitation type and duration time. Over the eastern periphery of the Tibetan Plateau, the maximum rain rate and the highest profile of either convective or stratiform precipitation occur in the late-night. Over the southeastern coastal regions, both the near surface rain rate and rain top of convective and stratiform precipitation peak in the late-afternoon.     

利用星载测雨雷达探测结果对夏季中国南方对流和层云降水气候特征的分析

本文利用热带测雨卫星(TRMM)上搭载的测雨雷达(PR)十年的探测结果, 对夏季中国南方对流降水和层云降水的气候特征进行了分析。研究结果表明:夏季中国南方层云降水频次较对流降水频次高出两倍以上, 而对流降水强度至少是层云降水强度的4倍; 就整个中国南方而言, 这两种类型的降水对总降水量贡献相当。日变化分析表明夏季中国南方大部分地区的对流降水主要出现在午后, 层云降水出现时间并不集中, 但这两类降水的频次日变化均显示了明显的地域性特征; 对降水廓线日变化的分析结果表明, 对流降水和层云降水廓线的日变化主要表现在“雨顶”高度的日变化, 即对流降水云的厚度有明显的日变化变化特征, 不同地区的降水廓线存在明显的差异。降水率剖面分析结果显示了对流降水的“雨顶” 高度日变化较层云降水剧烈, 降水率的日变化则相反, 且层云降水率的地域性特征更强。     

An Investigation into the Relationship between Surface Rain Rate and Rain Depth over Southeast Asia

The relationship between surface rain rate and depth of rain system(rain depth) over Southeast Asia is examined using 10-yr Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission(TRMM) precipitation radar(PR) measurements.Results show that,in general,a large surface rain rate is associated with a deep precipitating system,but a deep rain system may not always correspond with a large surface rain rate.This feature has a regional characteristic.Convective rain develops more frequently over land than over the ocean,while stratiform rain can extend to higher altitudes over the ocean than over land.A light surface rain rate has the largest probability to occur,regardless of rain depth.A convective rain system is more likely associated with a stronger surface rain rate than a stratiform rain system.Results show that precipitation systems involve complex microphysical processes.Rain depth is just one characteristic of precipitation.A linear relationship between surface rain rate and rain depth does not exist.Both deep convective and stratiform rain systems have reflectivity profiles that can be divided into three sections.The main difference in their profiles is at higher levels,from 4.5 km up to 19 km.For shallow stratiform rain systems,a two-section reflectivity profile mainly exists,while for convective systems a three-section profile is more common.     

A STUDY ON THE PRECIPITATION CHARACTERISTICS OVER THE SOUTH CHINA SEA BEFORE AND AFTER THE MONSOON ONSET

This paper presents a study on the temporal and spatial variations of the precipitation over the area of the South China Sea (SCS) during the monsoon onset period. The data used are from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) observations between April and June over the nine years from 1998 to 2006. This study focuses on the central and northern part of South China Sea (110-120°E, 10-20°N). Based on the observations, the 27th pentad is selected as the occurrence time of the SCS monsoon onset. The conclusions are as follows. (1) After the monsoon onset, the specific area, defined as the ratio of the number of pixels with certain type of precipitation to the number of total pixels, extends significantly for both convective and stratiform rain, with the latter having a larger magnitude. The specific rainfall, defined as the ratio of the amount of certain type of precipitation to the total amount of precipitation, decreases for convective rain and increases for stratiform rain. (2) Results also show significant increase in heavy rain and decrease in light rain after the monsoon onset. (3) Changes are also observed in the rainfall horizontal distributions over the SCS before and after the monsoon onset, manifested by the relocation of precipitation minima for both convective and stratiform rain. (4) After the monsoon onset, the variability in characteristics of precipitation vertical structure increases significantly, leading to more latent heat release and consequently deeper convection. Meanwhile, the bright-band altitude of stratiform precipitation is also elevated.     

基于TRMM卫星资料的江西一次大暴雨过程降水结构特征

利用热带测雨卫星(TRMM)的降水雷达(PR)和微波成像仪(TMI)连续2个轨道的探测结果,分析了2013年6月26—29日发生在江西省北部地区的中尺度降水过程不同降水阶段的降水水平结构、雨顶高度、降水廓线的变化特征。结果表明,此次降水过程由强对流云降水逐渐演变为对流性较弱的层状云降水。对流云降水阶段降水系统由成片层状降水云团中分布的多个零散强对流降水云团组成,降水分布不均匀,强对流云降水对总降水量的贡献大。层状云降水阶段,层状云中强对流单体消失,对流云降水像素及对流云降水率对总降水量的贡献减少,降水雨强谱变小,降水高度逐渐降低,云体高层降水量减少。对流云降水和层状云降水廓线存在差异,最大降水率出现的高度越高且中高层降水量越大,降水的对流性则越强。     

基于星载测雨雷达探测的亚洲对流和层云降水季尺度特征分析

利用热带测雨卫星搭载的测雨雷达10年探测结果,就季尺度亚洲对流降水和层云降水的降水频次和强度及降水垂直结构的特点进行了研究.结果表明春、秋、冬三季东亚季平均降水环西太平洋副热带高压呈带状分布,雨强一般不超过10 mm/d;夏季,沿孟加拉湾、中国西南、中国东部至日本的大片雨区中出现了大于12 mm/d强降水;亚洲陆面对流和层云降水强度均弱于洋面.亚洲山地强迫不但可引起迎风坡上千公里长度的高降水频次和强降水带,而且导致其下风方向降水频次减少.季尺度降水频次分析表明,亚洲大部分地区对流降水频次小于3%;而层云降水频次一般大于3%,最高可超过10%;副热带高压南侧及西南侧的热带地区对流和层云降水频次均高于副热带高压北侧及西北侧的中纬度地区;降水频次的区域分布还表明,春季中南半岛至中国华南及南海南部对流活动多于同期的印度次大陆.季平均对流和层云降水廓线的季节变化主要表现为"雨顶"高度的季节变化,即降水云的厚度变化;两类降水平均廓线季节变化的区域性差异表明,热带外地区较热带地区显著、陆面较同纬度洋面显著、孟加拉湾比南海显著,而南海和西太平洋暖池无明显的季节变化.此外,降水结构的剖面分析还表明对流降水存在4层结构、层云降水存在3层结构.     

TRMM测雨雷达和微波成像仪对两个中尺度特大暴雨降水结构的观测分析研究

文中利用TRMM卫星的测雨雷达和微波成像仪探测结果,研究了1998年7月20日21时(世界时)和1999年6月9日21时发生在武汉地区附近和皖南地区的两个中尺度强降水系统的水平结构和垂直结构,以及TMI微波亮温对降水强弱和分布的响应。研究结果表明:这两个中尺度强降水系统中对流降水所占面积比层云降水面积小,但对流降水具有很强的降水率,它对总降水量的贡献超过了层云降水。降水水平结构表明,两个中尺度强降水系统由多个强雨团或雨带组成,它们均属于对流性降水;降水垂直结构分析表明,强对流降水的雨顶高度可达15km,强对流降水主体中存在垂直方向和水平方向非均匀降水率分布区,层云降水有清晰的亮度带,层云降水的上方存在多层云系结构。降水廓线分布表明:对流降水廓线与层云降水廓线有明显的区别,并且降水廓线清晰地反映了降水微物理过程的垂直分布。整个中尺度强降水系统中对流降水与层云降水的区别还反映在标准化的总降水率随高度的分布。微波信号分析表明:TMI85 GHz极化修正亮温,19.4与37.0,19.4与85.5,37.0与85.5 GHz的垂直极化亮温差均能较好地指示陆面附近的降水分布。     

Variability of the TRMM-PR total and convective and stratiform rain fractions over the Indian region during the summer monsoon

Level 3 (3A25) TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR) data are used for 13 years period (1998–2010) to prepare climatology of TRMM PR derived near surface rain (Total rain) and rain fractions for the 4-months duration of Indian Summer Monsoon season (June–September) as well as for individual months. It is found that the total rain is contributed mostly (99 %) by two rain fractions i.e. stratiform and convective rain fractions for the season as well as on the monthly basis. It is also found that total rain estimates by PR are about 65 % of the gauge measured rain over continental India as well as on sub-regional basis. Inter-annual variability of TRMM-PR rain estimates for India mainland and its sub-regions as well as over the neighboring oceanic regions, in terms of coefficient of variability (CV) is discussed. The heaviest rain region over north Bay of Bengal (BoB) is found to have the lowest CV. Another sub-region of low CV lies over the eastern equatorial Indian ocean (EEIO). The CVs of total rain as well as its two major constituents are found to be higher on monthly basis compared to seasonal basis. Existence of a well known dipole between the EEIO and the north BoB is well recognized in PR data also. Significant variation in PR rainfall is found over continental India between excess and deficit monsoon seasons as well as between excess and deficit rainfall months of July and August. Examination of rainfall fractions between the BoB and Central India on year to year basis shows that compensation in rainfall fractions exists on monthly scale on both the regions. Also on the seasonal and monthly scales, compensation is observed in extreme monsoon seasons between the two regions. However, much less compensation is observed between the north BoB and EEIO belts in extreme rain months. This leads to speculation that the deficit and excess seasons over India may result from slight shift of the rainfall from Central India to the neighboring oceanic regions of north BoB. Contribution of stratiform and convective rain fractions have been also examined and the two fractions are found to contribute almost equally to the total rain. Results are further discussed in terms of the possible impact of the two rain fractions on circulation based on possible difference is vertical profiles of latent heat of two types of rain. Substantial differences in the lower and upper tropospheric circulation regimes are noticed in both deficit and excess monsoon months/seasons, emphasizing the interaction between rainfall (latent heat) and circulation.     

沿海地区一次中尺度对流系统闪电活动及降水结构

利用TRMM卫星的测雨雷达,微波成像仪,闪电成像仪等探测数据,研究了2010年8月5日发生在江苏北部一次中尺度对流系统(MCS)的降水结构和闪电活动之间的关系.结果表明:MCS在发展阶段,对流云降水面积与层状云降水区相当;在减弱阶段,层状云降水区面积远大于对流云降水区.MCS的生命史中,大部分闪电发生在对流云区,仅有少数闪电发生在层状云区,在减弱阶段闪电多发生在对流云和层云的过渡区中.发生闪电的层云和对流云降水垂直廓线表明:在MCS的发展成熟和减弱中在4 km高度,层云降水率都达到最大值;在对流云降水区中发生闪电主要与对流云上空含丰富的冰相粒子和对流云发展厚度(顶高达17 km)有关.研究还表明闪电数目最大值一般回波强度在35～45 dBz之间,并非回波越强闪电越多.闪电主要发生在40～50 dBz之间,且明显向强回波区趋近,这对我们利用雷达回波预警闪电落区具有一定的参考意义.     

Satellite Observations of Reflectivity Maxima above the Freezing Level Induced by Terrain

Previous studies have recognized reflectivity maxima above the freezing level(RMAF) within stratiform precipitation over mountain slopes, however, quantitative studies are limited due to the lack of adequate identification criteria. Here, we establish an identification method for RMAF precipitation and apply it to the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission(TRMM) Precipitation Radar(PR) observations. Using the TRMM 2A25 product from 1998 to 2013, we show that the RMAF structure in reflectivity profiles can be effectively identified. RMAF exists not only in stratiform precipitation but also in convective precipitation. RMAF frequency is positively correlated with elevation, which is thought to be caused by enhanced updrafts in the middle layers of stratiform precipitation, or in the low to middle layers of convective precipitation over mountains. The average RMAF heights in stratiform and convective precipitation were 1.35 and 2.01 km above the freezing level, respectively, which is lower than previous results. In addition, our results indicate that the RMAF structure increased the echo top height and enhanced precipitation processes above the RMAF height, but it suppressed the downward propagation of ice particles and the near-surface rain rate. Future studies of orographic precipitation should take into account the impact of the RMAF structure and its relevant dynamic triggers.     

Performance assessment of three convective parameterization schemes in WRF for downscaling summer rainfall over South Africa

Austral summer rainfall over the period 1991/1992 to 2010/2011 was dynamically downscaled by the weather research and forecasting (WRF) model at 9 km resolution for South Africa. Lateral boundary conditions for WRF were provided from the European Centre for medium-range weather (ECMWF) reanalysis (ERA) interim data. The model biases for the rainfall were evaluated over the South Africa as a whole and its nine provinces separately by employing three different convective parameterization schemes, namely the (1) Kain–Fritsch (KF), (2) Betts–Miller–Janjic (BMJ) and (3) Grell–Devenyi ensemble (GDE) schemes. All three schemes have generated positive rainfall biases over South Africa, with the KF scheme producing the largest biases and mean absolute errors. Only the BMJ scheme could reproduce the intensity of rainfall anomalies, and also exhibited the highest correlation with observed interannual summer rainfall variability. In the KF scheme, a significantly high amount of moisture was transported from the tropics into South Africa. The vertical thermodynamic profiles show that the KF scheme has caused low level moisture convergence, due to the highly unstable atmosphere, and hence contributed to the widespread positive biases of rainfall. The negative bias in moisture, along with a stable atmosphere and negative biases of vertical velocity simulated by the GDE scheme resulted in negative rainfall biases, especially over the Limpopo Province. In terms of rain rate, the KF scheme generated the lowest number of low rain rates and the maximum number of moderate to high rain rates associated with more convective unstable environment. KF and GDE schemes overestimated the convective rain and underestimated the stratiform rain. However, the simulated convective and stratiform rain with BMJ scheme is in more agreement with the observations. This study also documents the performance of regional model in downscaling the large scale climate mode such as El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and subtropical dipole modes. The correlations between the simulated area averaged rainfalls over South Africa and Nino3.4 index were ?0.66, ?0.69 and ?0.49 with KF, BMJ and GDE scheme respectively as compared to the observed correlation of ?0.57. The model could reproduce the observed ENSO-South Africa rainfall relationship and could successfully simulate three wet (dry) years that are associated with La Niña (El Niño) and the BMJ scheme is closest to the observed variability. Also, the model showed good skill in simulating the excess rainfall over South Africa that is associated with positive subtropical Indian Ocean Dipole for the DJF season 2005/2006.     

THE GATE SQUALL LINE OF 9－10 AUGUST 1974

A tropical squall line that passed over the ship array of the Global Atmospheric Research Programme’s Atlantic Tropical Experiment (GATE) on 9－10 August 1974 is analyzed. This squall line was similar to squall systems that passed over the GATE ship array on four other days. It began as a purely convective cloud line, then developed an associated stratiform cloud and precipitation area. The stratiform rain built up to a maxi-mum amount over a period of 8 h, then gradually diminished over a 6 h period. This stratiform rain is esti-mated to have accounted for 32% of the squall system’s total precipitation. As in other GATE squall lines, the upper-level cloud shield from which the stratiform rain fell, was advected slowly forward of the line during the system’s lifetime, the leading line of corrective clouds consisted of transient smaller-scale convective elements, which lent the line an irregular shape and pulsatory movement, and the stratiform portion of the system was characterized by the development of a mid-level mesoscale vortex similar to that seen in other GATE eases.     

Performance of the WRF model to simulate the seasonal and interannual variability of hydrometeorological variables in East Africa: a case study for the Tana River basin in Kenya

This study investigates the ability of the regional climate model Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) in simulating the seasonal and interannual variability of hydrometeorological variables in the Tana River basin (TRB) in Kenya, East Africa. The impact of two different land use classifications, i.e., the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the US Geological Survey (USGS) at two horizontal resolutions (50 and 25 km) is investigated. Simulated precipitation and temperature for the period 2011–2014 are compared with Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), Climate Research Unit (CRU), and station data. The ability of Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) and Climate Research Unit (CRU) data in reproducing in situ observation in the TRB is analyzed. All considered WRF simulations capture well the annual as well as the interannual and spatial distribution of precipitation in the TRB according to station data and the TRMM estimates. Our results demonstrate that the increase of horizontal resolution from 50 to 25 km, together with the use of the MODIS land use classification, significantly improves the precipitation results. In the case of temperature, spatial patterns and seasonal cycle are well reproduced, although there is a systematic cold bias with respect to both station and CRU data. Our results contribute to the identification of suitable and regionally adapted regional climate models (RCMs) for East Africa.

     

Vertical attributes of precipitation systems in West Africa and adjacent Atlantic Ocean

Summary This study reports the findings of TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission) satellite data analyses undertaken to investigate differences in intensity and depth of precipitating systems in the transition region from continental to maritime environments in West Africa during the rainy season of June to September in 1998–2004. The results of this study are interpreted in the context of regional thermodynamic variables such as equivalent potential temperature and equivalent convective available potential energy to discern the processes governing storm development. Over continental West Africa, convective-type precipitating storms exhibit a substantially larger vertical extent compared to the ones over the eastern Atlantic Ocean. In contrast, the stratiform precipitating systems show similar vertical reflectivity patterns, depth and intensity over both land and adjacent ocean in West Africa. The differences in the attributes of storms, as they move from the continent to the ocean, can be partly explained in terms of the surface-atmosphere interactions that provide the necessary transports of energy and water vapor from the surface to the cloud layer. Authors’ addresses: Jose D. Fuentes, Teferi Dejene, Paolo D’Odorico, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, 291 McCormick Road, Clark Hall, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA; Bart Geerts, Department of Atmospheric Science, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA; Everette Joseph, Department of Physics, Howard University, Washington, DC 20059, USA.     

Vertical Structures of Convective and Stratiform Clouds in Boreal Summer over the Tibetan Plateau and Its Neighboring Regions

Cloud is essential in the atmosphere, condensing water vapor and generating strong convective or large-scale persistent precipitation. In this work, the relationships between cloud vertical macro- or microphysical properties, radiative heating rate, and precipitation for convective and stratiform clouds in boreal summer over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) are analyzed and compared with its neighboring land and tropical oceans based on CloudSat/CALIPSO satellite measurements and TRMM precipitation data. The precipitation intensity caused by convective clouds is twofold stronger than that by stratiform clouds. The vertical macrophysics of both cloud types show similar features over the TP, with the region weakening the precipitation intensity and compressing the cloud vertical expansion and variation in cloud top height, but having an uplift effect on the average cloud top height. The vertical microphysics of both cloud types under conditions of no rain over the TP are characterized by lower-level ice water, ice particles with a relatively larger range of sizes, and a relatively lower occurrence of denser ice particles. The features are similar to other regions when precipitation enhances, but convective clouds gather denser and larger ice particles than stratiform clouds over the TP. The atmospheric shortwave (longwave) heating (cooling) rate strengthens with increased precipitation for both cloud types. The longwave cooling layer is thicker when the rainfall rate is less than 100 mm d^?1, but the net heating layer is typically compressed for the profiles of both cloud types over the TP. This study provides insights into the associations between clouds and precipitation, and an observational basis for improving the simulation of convective and stratiform clouds over the TP in climate models.     

中国东部云-降水对应关系的分析与模式评估

为评估和改进模式中不同类型云与降水的对应关系,利用1998—2007年卫星-台站融合降水资料和国际卫星云气候计划的卫星观测云资料,采用诊断方法分析了中国东部季风区冬季层云、夏季对流云、层云与降水的水平分布及季节变化对应关系,并评估了BCC_AGCM模式的T42和T106分辨率版本对云-降水对应关系的模拟能力。观测资料分析结果表明,中国东部冬季云带和雨带都稳定少动,降水主要来自雨层云和高层云,南部沿海层云和层积云也对降水有贡献;夏季,中国东部表现为层积混合云降水特征,对流云带与降水带具有较好的对应关系,并具有一致的移动特征。对流降水主要来自深对流云和卷层云,深对流云云量和降水中心完全吻合,卷层云云带则表现出比深对流云主体和降水带偏北的现象;层云降水主要来自高层云和层积云。模式评估结果表明,中、低分辨率版本的BCC_AGCM模式均模拟出了冬季层云和稳定少动的降水带、夏季深对流云、卷层云和降水带的对应关系及随季风推进的移动特征。与T42模式版本相比,T106模式版本在夏季对流云云量的模拟及其与降水带的对应关系方面有所改善,说明改进的BCC_AGCM积云对流参数化方案与高分辨率模式网格更匹配,但冬季层云云量模拟误差变大,与降水带的对应关系变差,其原因值得进一步分析研究。