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.     

Diurnal variations of precipitation over the South China Sea

In this study, the diurnal variations of precipitation and related mechanisms over the South China Sea (SCS) are studied using the TRMM and other auxiliary atmospheric data. We have found that: (1) the amplitude and peak time of the diurnal precipitation over SCS exhibit remarkable regional features and seasonal variations. Diurnal variations are robust all the year around over the southern SCS especially over the Kalimantan Island and its offshore area. Over the middle to northern SCS, however, diurnal variations are noticeable only in the summer and autumn; (2) over the northern SCS precipitation peaks in early morning, while over the southern SCS it has two diurnal peaks: one in the early morning and another in the late afternoon; (3) the diurnal variations of precipitation over the SCS are related to the activity of the SCS summer monsoon and the ENSO events. The late afternoon precipitation increases remarkably after the onset of the SCS summer monsoon over the northern SCS. The early-morning rainfall peak is much more significant during La Nina years than during El Nino years; (4) the land–sea breeze is responsible for the diurnal cycle over the Kalimantan Island and its offshore area while the “static radiation–convection” mechanisms may result in the early-morning rainfall peak over the SCS.     

湖南夏季降水日变化特征

利用湖南96个测站13年的逐时自记降水资料, 分析了夏季（6~8月）降水日变化特征。结果表明, 湖南夏季降水日变化呈现显著的区域差异。湘东南降水量、 降水频次峰值主要出现在午后到傍晚, 而其它地区的降水峰值一般出现在清晨。进一步分析显示, 降水频次峰值出现时次分布更集中, 区域特征更鲜明。湘西北、 湘东南区域平均的累积降水量、 降水频次及降水强度的日变化在清晨和午后均呈双峰型特征。湘西北主（次）峰值出现的时间大致与湘东南次（主）峰值出现的时间对应。同时, 降水日变化与降水持续时间密切相关。持续5~10 h降水事件是持续1~4 h事件与持续10 h以上事件降水量峰值出现时间发生显著变化的过渡降水事件。持续1~4 h（10 h以上）的降水事件的极值降水始发时间为午后至傍晚（夜间）。在不同持续时间的降水事件中, 持续2 h降水的累积量最大。     

中国大陆降水日变化研究进展

文章概述了中国大陆降水日变化的最新研究成果,给出了中国大陆降水日变化的整体图像,指出目前数值模式模拟降水日变化的局限性,为及时了解和掌握降水日变化研究进展、开展相关科学研究和进行降水预报服务提供了有价值的科学依据和参考。现有研究表明：（1）中国大陆夏季降水日变化的区域特征明显。在夏季,东南和东北地区的降水日峰值主要集中在下午;西南地区多在午夜达到降水峰值;长江中上游地区的降水多出现在清晨;中东部地区清晨、午后双峰并存;青藏高原大部分地区是下午和午夜峰值并存。（2）降水日变化存在季节差异和季节内演变。冷季降水日峰值时刻的区域差异较暖季明显减小,在冷季南方大部分地区都表现为清晨峰值;中东部地区暖季降水日变化随季风雨带的南北进退表现出清晰的季节内演变,季风活跃（间断）期的日降水峰值多发生在清晨（下午）。（3）持续性降水和局地短时降水的云结构特性以及降水日峰值出现时间存在显著差异。持续性降水以层状云特性为主,地表降水和降水廓线的峰值大多位于午夜后至清晨;短时降水以对流降水为主,峰值时间则多出现在下午至午夜前。（4）降水日变化涉及不同尺度的山-谷风、海-陆风和大气环流的综合影响,涉及复杂的云雨形成和演变过程,对流层低层环流日变化对降水日变化的区域差异亦有重要影响。（5）目前数值模式对中国降水日变化的模拟能力有限,且模拟结果具有很强的模式依赖性,仅仅提高模式水平分辨率并不能总是达到改善模拟结果的目的,关键是要减少存在于降水相关的物理过程参数化方案中的不确定性问题。     

华北地区夏季降水日变化的时空分布特征

利用2008~2014年间全国自动站观测降水和CMORPH[CPC（Climate Prediction Center）morphing technique]卫星反演降水资料融合而成的0.1°×0.1°小时降水产品揭示了华北夏季降水的日变化特征,发现华北多数地区夏季降水量和降水频率日变化呈现出明显的双峰特征且存在明显的区域性差异。在太行山以西地区,降水量和降水频率的日峰值出现在傍晚18:00左右（北京时）,规律性最强;而在太行山以东的平原和沿海地区,日峰值一般出现在上午。研究不同持续时间降水对总降水的贡献发现短时降水对傍晚的降水日峰值贡献较大,而长时降水则对凌晨的峰值影响更大。分析不同强度降水对总降水量的贡献结果表明,0.1~10 mm h-1强度降水较其它强度降水对夏季华北地区总降水量贡献更大,随着降水强度的增加降水量日变化的峰值个数增加。     

Progress in Studies of the Precipitation Diurnal Variation over Contiguous China

This paper summarizes the recent progress in studies of the diurnal variation of precipitation over con- tiguous China. The main results are as follows. （1） The rainfall diurnal variation over contiguous China presents distinct regional features. In summer, precipitation peaks in the late afternoon over the south- ern inland China and northeastern China, while it peaks around midnight over southwestern China. In the upper and middle reaches of Yangtze River valley, precipitation occurs mostly in the early morning. Summer precipitation over the central eastern China （most regions of the Tibetan Plateau） has two diurnal peaks, i.e., one in the early morning （midnight） and the other in the late afternoon. （2） The rainfall diurnal variation experiences obvious seasonal and sub-seasonal evolutions. In cold seasons, the regional contrast of rainfall diurnal peaks decreases, with an early morning maximum over most of the southern China. Over the central eastern China, diurnal monsoon rainfall shows sub-seasonal variations with the movement of summer monsoon systems. The rainfall peak mainly occurs in the early morning （late afternoon） during the active （break） monsoon period. （3） Cloud properties and occurrence time of rainfall diurnal peaks are different for long- and short-duration rainfall events. Long-duration rainfall events are dominated by strat- iform precipitation, with the maximum surface rain rate and the highest profile occurring in the late night to early morning, while short-duration rainfall events are more related to convective precipitation, with the maximum surface rain rate and the highest profile occurring between the late afternoon and early night. （4） The rainfall diurnal variation is influenced by multi-scale mountain-valley and land-sea breezes as well as large-scale atmospheric circulation, and involves complicated formation and evolution of cloud and rainfall systems. The diurnal cycle of winds in the lower troposphere also contributes to the regional differences     

Changes in the Diurnal Cycles of Precipitation over Eastern China in the Past 40 Years

This study analyzed the interdecadal changes in the diurnal variability of summer(June-August) precipitation over eastern China during the period 1966-2005 using hourly station rain gauge data.The results revealed that rainfall diurnal variations experienced significant interdecadal changes.Over the area to the south of the Yangtze River,as well as the area between the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers,the percentages of morning rainfall(0000-1200 LST) to total rainfall in terms of amount,frequency and intensity,all exhibited increasing interdecadal trends.On the contrary,over North China,decreasing trends were found.As a result,diurnal rainfall peaks also presented pronounced interdecadal variations.Over the area between the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers,there were 16 out of 46 stations with afternoon(1200-0000 LST) frequency peaks in the first 20 years of the 40-year period of study,while only eight remained in the latter 20 years.In North China,seven stations experienced the opposite changes,which accounted for about 21% of the total number of stations.The possible causes for the interdecadal changes in diurnal features were discussed.As the rainfall in the active monsoon period presents morning diurnal peaks,with afternoon peaks in the break period,the decrease(increase) of rainfall in the active monsoon period over North China(the area south of the Yangtze River and the area between the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers) may contribute to interdecadal changes in diurnal rainfall variability.     

近30 a江苏夏季降水日变化的气候学特征

基于1980—2013年江苏省61站小时降水资料,分析了江苏省夏季降水日变化的特点及小时极端降水、不同级别雨日的日变化特征。结果表明,江苏省夏季降水日变化具有显著的双峰分布特征,然而江苏省北部和南部降水的主峰时段并不一致。从降水频次、累积降水量来看,江苏省北部降水以清晨至早上时段为主峰、午后至傍晚时段为次峰,南部降水与之相反。长持续性降水占夏季降水的2/3左右,且江苏北部占比多于南部,均为清晨至早上的单峰分布;短持续性降水占夏季降水的1/3,在江苏北部呈现出以午后至傍晚为主峰,清晨至早上为次峰的双峰分布,而在江苏南部呈现出以午后至傍晚的单峰分布特点。小时极端降水,阈值分布南低北高,虽然频次较少,但占夏季降水的40%左右。小时极端降水日变化的双峰分布和夏季总体降水分布类似,但主峰大都出现在午后至傍晚。不同级别雨日的日变化分布各有不同,但全省各区无显著差异。累积降水量贡献主要来自于暴雨和大雨。暴雨无论是从降水频次、累积降水量还是降水强度都呈现清晨至早上的单峰分布。     

A Possible Cause for Different Diurnal Variations of Warm Season Rainfall as Shown in Station Observations and TRMM 3B42 Data over the Southeastern Tibetan Plateau

In this study,records from a 3-yr intensified observational experiment at eight stations along the hillside of Seqilashan over the southeastern Tibetan Plateau were analyzed and combined with records at 28 routine observation stations in the Chinese National Meteorological Station Network to investigate the influences of station location on the different diurnal rainfall variations between station records and Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) data products.The results indicate that the diurnal variation of warm season rainfall is closely related to location of stations.The prevailing nocturnal rainfall peak in observations at routine stations can be largely attributed to the relatively lower location of the stations,which are mostly situated in valleys.The records at Seqilashan stations on hillsides revealed an evident diurnal afternoon peak of warm season rainfall,similar to that indicated by TRMM data.The different diurnal phases between valley and hillside stations are closely related to the orographically induced regional circulations caused by the complex topography over the Tibetan Plateau.The results of this study indicate that the prevailing nocturnal rainfall associated with the relatively lower location of routine observation stations can partially explain the diurnal rainfall variations between observation station records and TRMM data.     

江苏南部汛期降水日变化特征分析

利用江苏南部20个气象观测站2008—2012年汛期(5—10月)逐小时降水资料,应用降水频率来分析了江苏南部地区降水日变化基本特征和区域差异。研究表明:降水日变化特征地域性差异较强,西部站、东部站和东北沿海站都存在一定的特征差异。东部站降水量的最大值主要出现在下午和傍晚;西部站降水量主峰值出现在下午,并且在清晨和夜间还有两个次峰值;东北沿海站呈现出午前、午后的双峰值形式。2008—2011年降水量下午高值区有先减弱后增强并提前的趋势,而上午的高值区有总体减弱并推迟的特征。2011年后有明显减弱的趋势。江苏南部总体来说,短时强降水(大于20和25 mm/h)在16—19时出现主峰值,07—09时也有相对较小的次峰值。     

Warm-Season Diurnal Variations of Total,Stratiform, Convective,and Extreme Hourly Precipitation over Central and Eastern China

Diurnal variations in amount, frequency and intensity of warm-season hourly precipitation(HP) at seven levels, which are defined as HP 0.1, 0.5, 1, 5, 10, 20 and 50 mm, are revealed based on no less than 30 years of hourly rain-gauge observations at national stations over central and eastern China(CEC). This study investigates the variations, relationships, differences and similarities of total, stratiform, convective and extreme HP over the entire CEC and various subregions. Results indicate that the variations in the amount and frequency of HP at the seven levels over the entire CEC all display a bimodal feature. For various regions, the variations of total HP mostly feature two peaks, while convective HP mainly occurs in the late afternoon and determines the diurnal variation of total HP intensity. On the basis of the primary peak time periods of HP frequency at all levels over different subregions, the variations can be classified into three main categories: late-afternoon primary peak, nocturnal primary peak, and time-shifting primary peak. However, the variations over some coastal regions like the Liaodong Peninsula, the Shandong Peninsula, and the coastal regions of Guangdong, distinctly differ from those over their corresponding larger regions. Overall, the normalized diurnal variation amplitude of amount and frequency increases with the increasing HP intensity; convective precipitation can be represented by HP 10 mm; and the intensity of HP 50 mm is slightly larger during the nighttime than during the daytime over the entire CEC. In northern China, diurnal variation in HP 5 mm can represent well that in convective precipitation.     

Impacts of the Boreal Summer Intraseasonal Oscillation on the Warm-Season Rainfall over Hainan Island

This study investigates the roles of the boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation(BSISO) in the diurnal rainfall cycle over Hainan Island during the warm season(April-September) using 20-year satellite-based precipitation, ERA5and the outgoing longwave radiation data with the phase composite analysis method. Results show that the spatial distributions of the hourly rainfall anomaly significantly change under the BSISO phases 1-8 while no clear variations are found on the daily and anomaly daily a...     

Diurnal Variations of Summer Precipitation in the Beijing Area and the Possible Effect of Topography and Urbanization

The present study examined the diurnal variations of summer precipitation in the Beijing area by using subdaily precipitation and wind observations. A combined effect of topography and urbanization on the characteristics of diurnal variations was suggested. It was shown that stations located in the plain areaexhibited typical night rain peaks, whereas those in the mountainous area exhibited clear afternoon peaks ofprecipitation diurnal variations. The precipitation peaks were associated with wind fields around the Beijing area, which were found to be highly modulated by mountain-valley circulation and urban-country circulation.The lower-tropospheric wind exhibited a clear diurnal shift in its direction from north at 0800 LST to southat 2000 LST, which reflected mountain-valley circulation. The transitions from valley to mountain windand the opposite generally happened after sunset and sunrise, respectively, and both occurred earlier for thestations located closer to mountains. By comparing the diurnal variations of precipitation at stations in anortheast suburb, an urban area, and a southwest suburb, it was revealed that the northeast suburb grouphad the highest normalized rainfall frequency, but the southwest group had the lowest from late afternoon tolate evening. On the contrary, in the early morning from about 0200 to 1000 LST, the southwest group andurban group had the highest normalized rainfall frequency. This pattern might originate from the combined effects of mountain-valley topography and urbanization.     

Diurnal cycles of precipitation over subtropical China in IPCC AR5 AMIP simulations

Atmospheric Intercomparison Project simulations of the summertime diurnal cycle of precipitation and low-level winds over subtropical China by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fifth Assessment Report models were evaluated. By analyzing the diurnal variation of convective and stratiform components, results confirmed that major biases in rainfall diurnal cycles over subtropical China are due to convection parameterization and further pointed to the diurnal variation of convective rainfall being closely related to the closure of the convective scheme. All models captured the early-morning peak of total rainfall over the East China Sea, but most models had problems in simulating diurnal rainfall variations over land areas of subtropical China. When total rainfall was divided into stratiform and convective rainfall, all models successfully simulated the diurnal variation of stratiform rainfall with a maximum in the early morning. The models, overestimating noon-time （nocturnal） total rainfall over land, generally simulated too much convective rainfall, which peaked close to noon （midnight）, sharing some similarities in the closures of their deep convection schemes. The better performance of the Meteorological Research Institute atmospherer. ocean coupled global climate model version 3 （MRI-CGCM3） is attributed to the well captured ratio of the two kinds of rainfall, but not diurnal variations of the two components. Therefore, a proper ratio of convective and stratiform rainfall to total rainfall is also important to improve simulated diurnal rainfall variation.     

基于GPM卫星的广东汛期降水日变化特征与评估

新一代全球降水观测计划GPM作为TRMM卫星的继承者,在物理探测和降水反演算法上具有明显进步。以广东省雨量自动站为基准,对2014—2018年间GPM的格点降水估测产品IMERG（V5B）的日变化特征和估测误差进行分析。结果表明,IMERG能清晰反映广东前、后汛期的降水双峰型特征,但对下午降水峰值明显高估,峰值出现时间滞后;而对于沿海早晨峰值降水则明显低估,对于降水极值,低估更加显著。IMERG对两个峰值的估测误差受不同因素影响,下午峰值降水的相对偏差与地形密切相关,珠江三角洲平原为稳定高估区,地形高度越高,低估幅度越大;而早晨峰值降水极值负偏差与地形高度、降水量的相关性均较小。对出现显著负偏差的早晨沿海降水样本日进行925 hPa风场合成,可知IMERG明显低估时,对应区域上游较强的超低空西南气流与风速夜间增长。IMERG对这一季风活动背景降水的低估构成了其估测早晨降水误差的主要来源。      

热带地区云量日变化的气候特征

利用国际卫星云气候计划（ISCCP）1984—2003年共20年云量资料,统计分析了热带地区的云量日变化特征,研究结果表明,云量峰值时间和变化幅度在全球的分布都较为均匀,而海陆差异明显。高云和低云在变化机制上相对独立,其云量日变化并非同步。全球云量日变化由4类基本形式组成,分别为洋面高云型、陆面高云型、洋面低云型和陆面低云型。高云日变化与地表辐射加热状况密切相关,其形式在洋面和陆面类似,均为早晨出现云量最小值而午后到达云量峰值。相比于洋面,陆面高云的峰值在夜间持续时间较长,可发展至更为稳定深厚的云系。低云多在局地5时附近出现云量峰值,18时左右达到云量极小值,其中陆面低云在12时出现第二峰值。     

Climatology of summer midtropospheric perturbations in the US northern plains. Part II: large-scale effects of the Rocky Mountains on genesis

Propagating convective storms across the US northern plains are often coupled with preexisting midtropospheric perturbations (MPs) initiated over the Rocky Mountains. A companion study (Part I) notes that such MPs occur most commonly at 12 UTC (early morning) and 00 UTC (late afternoon). Using a regional reanalysis and a general circulation model (GCM), this study investigates how such a bimodal distribution of the MP frequency is formed. The results point to two possible mechanisms working together while each has a different timing in terms of maximum effect. The diurnal evolutions between the midtropospheric flows over the Rockies and over the Great Plains are nearly out-of-phase due to inertial oscillation. During the nighttime, the westerly flows at 700?C500?mb over the Rockies intensify while flows at the same level over the Great Plains turn easterly. These two flows converge over the eastern Rockies and induce cyclonic vorticity through vortex stretching. After sunrise, the convergence dissipates and the cyclonic vorticity is redistributed by horizontal vorticity advection, moving it downstream. This process creates a climatological zonally propagating vorticity signal which, in turn, facilitates the early-morning MP genesis at 12 UTC. The analysis also reveals marked dynamic instability conducive to subsynoptic-scale disturbances in the midtroposphere over the Rockies. Strong meridional temperature gradients appear over the north-facing slopes of the Rockies due to terrain heating to the south and the presence of cooler air to the north. This feature, along with persistent vertical shear, creates a Charney?CStern type of instability (i.e. sign changes of the meridional potential vorticity gradient). Meanwhile, the development of terrain boundary layer reduces the Rossby deformation radius which, subsequently, enhances the likelihood for baroclinic short waves. Such effects are most pronounced in the late afternoon and therefore are supportive to the MP genesis around 00 UTC. Examination of GCM experiments with and without orography further supports the critical role of the Rocky Mountains and its associated boundary layer impacts on the formation of MPs.     

Diurnal variation of surface wind over central eastern China

Hourly wind observations from 452 meteorological stations are used to document the diurnal cycle of the surface wind over the central eastern China (100°–122°E, 20°–42.5°N). Both the surface wind speed and the wind direction show large diurnal variation with pronounced topographic effects. At most stations, the surface wind speed reaches the maximum in the afternoon and the minimum in early-morning. This diurnal phase shows small seasonal variation, whereas the diurnal amplitude varies significantly in different seasons. The diurnal amplitude of the surface wind speed reaches maximum in spring over the northern and southwestern China and in summer over the southern China. The diurnal cycle of the wind direction is more complicated. Over the coastal (mountain) regions, the diurnal wind direction is greatly influenced by the land–sea (mountain–valley) breezes with large (small) seasonal variation. Over the northern plain region, the wind direction exhibits small diurnal variation but with remarkable seasonal rotation. The surface wind over the stations located on the top of mountains shows distinct diurnal variation, which represents the diurnal cycle of the tropospheric low-level wind. The wind speed over these stations is highest in pre-dawn and lowest in the afternoon. The wind anomaly rotates clockwise from late night to late afternoon, and shows significant seasonal variation as influenced by the annual cycle of the monsoon system. The contribution of the diurnal surface wind to the diurnal feature of precipitation is briefly discussed.     

Areal differences in diurnal variations in summer precipitation over Beijing metropolitan region

Using hourly rain-gauge measurements for the period 2004?C2007, differences in diurnal variation in summer (June?CAugust) precipitation are investigated in four distinct areas of Beijing: the urban area (UA), suburban area (SA), north mountainous area (NMA), and south mountainous area (SMA), which are distinguished empirically based on underlying surface conditions and verified with a statistical rotated empirical orthogonal function. The diurnal cycles and spatial patterns in seasonal mean precipitation amount, intensity, and frequency in the four areas are compared. Results show that the four areas have distinct diurnal variation patterns in precipitation amounts, with a single peak observed in UA and NMA in the late afternoon, which are 80?% and 121?% higher than their daily average, respectively, and two peaks in SA during the late afternoon and early morning with magnitudes exceeding the daily mean by 76?% and 29?%, respectively. There are also two peaks in SMA: a weaker nocturnal diurnal peak and an afternoon peak. The minimum amounts of rainfall observed in the forenoon in UA, SA, and SMA are 53?%, 47?%, and 57?% lower than the daily mean in each area, respectively, and that observed in the early morning in NMA is 50?% lower than the daily mean. The diurnal variations in precipitation intensities resemble those for precipitation amount in all four areas, but more intense precipitation is observed in SA (2.4?mm/h) than in UA (2.2?mm/h). The lowest frequency for the whole day is observed in UA, whereas the highest frequency occurs in the mountainous areas in the daytime, especially in the late afternoon in SMA. Diurnal variations in surface air temperature and divergence fields in the four areas are further investigated to interpret the physical mechanisms that underlie the spatial and temporal differences in summer diurnal precipitation, and the results indicate the possible dominance of the local circulation arising from mountain?Cvalley wind and the differences in underlying surface heating between the urban, suburban, and mountainous areas of Beijing.     

Characteristics of diurnal variations of warm-season precipitation over Xinjiang Province in China

降水日变化受大气热力,动力过程以及复杂地形影响,演变特征复杂且区域差异显著.本文采用中国气象局发布的中国地面与CMORPH融合逐小时降水产品(2008-2019年),分析了新疆省暖季降水日变化特征.研究结果表明:(1)新疆大部分地区降水主峰值发生在清晨;(2)持续时间超过三小时的降水事件是新疆地区主要降水事件,贡献了南...