A SYNOPTIC CLIMATOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF SUMMERTIME PRECIPITATION INTENSITY IN THE EASTERN UNITED STATES

The spatial patterns of precipitation frequency and intensity over the eastern United States for summer from 1961 to 1990 are analyzed using a recently developed continental-scale air mass-based synoptic classification. This procedure, the spatial synoptic classification (SSC), is based on “seed” day identification of synoptic events and discriminant analysis to group together days that are within the same air-mass type. Results show differences in the types of precipitation associated with different air masses. Two air masses in particular-Moist Tropical and Moist Temperate-appear to be highly correlated with a majority of the precipitation, particularly in the southeast. The synoptic characteristics, daily intensity of rainfall, and radiosonde soundings during prevalence of these two air masses suggest that convective rainfall is common during Moist Tropical, and stratiform-type rainfall occurs during Moist Temperate. A simple stratification scheme based upon a synoptic-based air-mass delineation may be useful for studies that need to divide days into stratiform or convective regimes.     

DIURNAL VARIATIONS OF SUMMERTIME VERY HEAVY PRECIPITATION IN THE EASTERN AND CENTRAL UNITED STATES

This study was prompted by the apparent confusion in the meteorological and climatological literature on the time of day very heavy precipitation is most likely to occur. Harmonic analysis and cluster analysis were used to investigate the large-scale spatial variations in the diurnal cycle of very heavy precipitation in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains. Significant spatial variations in the diurnal cycle of very heavy precipitation were found to exist, and seven largely contiguous regions with unique diurnal characteristics of very heavy precipitation were identified.     

THE DIURANAL DISTRIBUTION OF LARGE HAIL OVER THE UNITED STATES

The diurnal course of large hail varies over the United States. The time of maximum of large hail changes from near 1500 hours on the east coast to between 1800 and 1900 hours on the Great Plains. The north-to-south differences are smaller except near the Gulf Coast, where secondary maxima occur. In some areas the time of maximum of large hail differs from the maxima times of tornadoes, heavy rain, and thunderstorms.     

THE DIURANAL DISTRIBUTION OF LARGE HAIL OVER THE UNITED STATES

The diurnal course of large hail varies over the United States. The time of maximum of large hail changes from near 1500 hours on the east coast to between 1800 and 1900 hours on the Great Plains. The north-to-south differences are smaller except near the Gulf Coast, where secondary maxima occur. In some areas the time of maximum of large hail differs from the maxima times of tornadoes, heavy rain, and thunderstorms.     

美国山地降水量垂直分布的研究

根据美国西部山地资料,依据宏观地理因素和局地海拔高度因素从各种气候区域和不同纬度上选择典型坡地研究了降水的垂直分布规律。     

REGIONAL-SCALE TROUGHING OVER THE SOUTHWESTERN UNITED STATES: TEMPORAL CLIMATOLOGY,TELECONNECTIONS, AND CLIMATIC IMPACT

Regional-scale middle- and upper-tropospheric troughing over the southwestern United States represents a departure from the modal circulation pattern for western North America. Once developed, southwestern troughs often are associated with positive vorticity advection aloft, surface cyclone formation, and moisture advection over areas of the western Great Plains and Intermountain West. These trough systems may play an important role in the precipitation climatology of the western and central United States. However, very little work has focused on the temporal climatology, developmental characteristics, or climatic impacts of southwestern troughs. This study provides a detailed climatology of southwestern troughing that focuses on: (1) the temporal frequency of these events; (2) the teleconnective circulation changes that are associated with their development; and (3) the importance of these systems in the precipitation climatology of the western and central United States.

The temporal climatology of southwestern troughs reveals that most of these systems occur during spring and autumn, with somewhat fewer events in winter and very few events in summer. An examination of 500-mb geopotential height and 24-hr height change composites during trough development shows that much of the wave-train activity that accompanies trough onset is limited to the North Pacific and North American regions. These changes are characterized by the amplification and eastward movement of a ridge/trough couplet over the eastern Pacific, which is preceded by synoptic-scale transient wave activity over the western and central Pacific. While southwestern troughs occur less than 30% of the time, southwestern trough-derived precipitation comprises over 60% of the monthly totals for some sites.     

SYNOPTIC-SCALE VARIABILITY IN THE PROBABILITY OF PRECIPITATION FROM THUNDERSTORMS IN THE UNITED STATES

A synoptic-scale climatology of precipitation amounts from thunderstorms was developed by analysis of amounts from individual storms for 220 stations in the conterminous United States for the period 1948-1977. The probability of having a thunderstorm without rainfall was assessed for each station. For storms which did produce precipitation, the probability distribution of amounts was found to be well summarized by the incomplete gamma distribution. Sets of seasonal maps of the probability of receiving any measurable amount, less than 4 mm, and more than 20 mm of precipitation are presented. Consistent spatial patterns are found. Thunder without precipitation is most likely in the west. The greatest probability of heavy precipitation occurs along the Gulf Coast, extending in the summer throughout the mid-section of the nation. Topographic effects are apparent, with mountainous areas generally having less intense precipitation than surrounding regions. [Key World: thunderstorms, precipitation probabilities, gamma distribution.]     

TWENTIETH-CENTURY CLIMATE ANOMALY PATTERNS OVER THE SOUTHWESTERN UNITED STATES

Winter precipitation anomaly patterns between 1911 and 1977 over the southwestern United States are investigated by empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis. The first four EOFs explain 74% of the total variance in the original data assemblages. The first three were statistically significant at the 95% confidence level. The spatial distribution of the coefficients and the time plots of the amplitudes of the first two EOFs indicate that the first three decades of the study period, identified as encompassing the most anomalously warm decades in the western Untied States this century, was a period when negative precipitation anomalies predominated in the Great Basin and in the upper Colorado and Green River basins, but positive anomalies predominated in the lower Colorado and the Colorado Plateau region of Arizona. In the early 1950s not only was there a hiatus in winter precipitation distribution, but the earlier anomaly patterns reversed to a predominantly wet northern section and a predominantly drier south. This hiatus in anomaly patterns coincided with the change to increased meridionality in upper tropospheric circulation patterns. These results, when viewed in the light of those from Euler et al. (1979), Wigley, Jones and Kelly (1980), Williams (1980) and Jäger and Kellogg (1983), support a strong case for an anomalously warm Southwest during strong hemispheric and hence Arctic warming and therefore a predominance of the anomaly patterns exemplified by the first two EOFs. The third EOF depicts the influence of physiography and the nature and trajectory of precipitation-inducing systems in winter on the variance pattern. The spatial distributions of the EOFs raise questions about the inferential use of surrogate data for environmental reconstruction in the presence of anomaly patterns that lead to nonsynchroneity in the response of samples in time and space. Power spectra of the amplitudes of the first three EOFs show the biennial oscillation and oscillations with periodicities greater than 30 years to be significant at the 95% confidence level on a white noise continuum.     

CLIMATIC CONTROL OF pH BUFFERING IN THE A AND B HORIZONS OF UNITED STATES SOILS

In previous studies, models of the climatic controls on pH in the A (pHA) and B horizons (pHB) of U.S. soils were developed which differ in the functional forms and variables incorporated into each model. This study suggests that the differences in the models are explained by climate's control over the soil properties that determine pH buffering. Climatic control of pHA and pHB buffering in most acid soils is through its control over clay mineralogy. However in very acid soils, organic matter content (OM) is a stronger buffer of pHA than is clay mineralogy because in these highly leached soils, OM contents are very high and most OM is concentrated in the A horizon. In basic soils, climate dominates buffering through its control over the chemical reactions involving calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) formation. The pHA model suggests that in basic soils as moisture decreases CaCO₃ content increases causing pHA buffering to increase. In contrast, the pHB model suggests that as moisture decreases pHB buffering decreases. Although leaching of basic soils is limited, when it occurs a highly-concentrated pulse of calcium (Ca²⁺) is illuviated to the B horizon, causing pHB to increase. As leaching decreases, the magnitude of this pulse of Ca²⁺ increases because more Ca ²⁺ is available for leaching and depth of leaching of Ca²⁺ decreases. Studies of basic soils support only the results of the pHA model, but they are based mainly on laboratory studies which do not consider the influence of climate on B horizon chemistry. [Key Words: Soil acidity, pH buffering, climate, modeling, U.S. soils.]     

THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN SNOW COVER AND CYCLONES IN THE EASTERN UNITED STATES

Snow cover extent is correlated with the latitude, pressure, and frequency of cyclones at every five degrees of longitude from 70° to 100° West, for the winter seasons 1971 to 1980. Each cyclone parameter is also lag correlated with snow cover extent to test relationships between snow cover extent of one week and cyclone variables of successive weeks. More extensive snow cover is related to cyclones traveling farther south, having higher central pressure, and becoming less frequent.     

A PARABOLIC FUNCTION TO MODIFY THORNTHWAITE ESTIMATES OF POTENTIAL EVAPOTRANSPIRATION FOR THE EASTERN UNITED STATES

The Thornthwaite potential evapotranspiration model is well known and widely used, but has received some criticism as it is primarily based on air temperature to estimate potential evapotranspiration. Errors of the Thornthwaite model can be analyzed using adjusted pan evaporation as an index of potential evapotranspiration. An examination of ratios of adjusted pan evaporation to Thornthwaite potential evapotranspiration indicates that the ratios are highest in the winter and lowest during summer months. This trend suggests a parabolic pattern. In this study a parabolic function is used to adjust Thornthwaite estimates of potential evapotranspiration. Forty locations east of the Rocky Mountains are analyzed and indicate that a parabolic adjustment of Thornthwaite potential evapotranspiration estimates generally increases correlation with adjusted pan evaporation and decreases error by 20 to 70 percent. [Key words: potential evapotranspiration, pan evaporation, Thornthwaite.]     

REGIONAL DEMOGRAPHIC STRUCTURE OF THE UNITED STATES

This paper analyzes the surprisingly great variation in demographic character across the states, utilizing data on fertility, mortality, age, sex, mobility, household character, abortion, race and ethnicity. A fairly simple regional pattern is revealed that is less related to levels of economic development than to long-standing historical cultural differences.     

美国中东部温带稳定≥10℃积温

应用修订的康拉德公式计算美国中东部温带地区日均温稳定≥10℃积温,并同我国相应纬度地区作了对比。这一对比揭示出我国东部温带并非世界同纬度地带夏半年热量资源最丰富。     

AVOIDING THE DEMISE OF GEOGRAPHY IN THE UNITED STATES

This is the second of two articles about challenges that confront geography departments in a changing academic environment. College enrollment trends and tightening budgets are placing geography programs in jeopardy because the discipline is not considered by society to be indispensable. Departmental survival in a period of retrenchment may depend upon successfully demonstrating utility and quality, identifying unfilled niches in individual institutions, developing new interdisciplinary organizational arrangements, or finding ways to strengthen geography's position in governmental definitions of useful academic training.