Validation of GCM control simulations using indices of daily airflow types over the British Isles

In this study, the control simulations of two general circulation model (GCM) experiments are assessed in terms of their ability to reproduce realistic real world weather. The models examined are the UK Meteorological Office high-resolution atmospheric model (UKHI) and a coupled ocean/atmosphere model of the Max Planck Institut für Meteorologic, Hamburg (MPI). An objective classification of daily airflow patterns over the British Isles is used as a basis for comparing the frequencies of model-generated weather types with the frequencies derived from 110 years of observed mean-sea-level pressure (MSLP) fields. The weather-type frequencies generated by the GCMs, and their relationships with simulated monthly mean temperatures and total precipitation over the UK, are compared, season by season, with similar results derived using the observational data. An index of gale frequencies over the British Isles, derived from a similar objective analysis of daily MSLP fields, is used to evaluate the ability of the GCMs to simulate the observed frequency of storm events. One advantage of using 110 years of observational data is that the observed decadal-scale variability of climate can be introduced into this type of validation exercise. Both the GCMs assessed here are too cyclonic in winter. The seasonality of both anticyclonic and cyclonic types is much too strong in MPI and summer precipitation in this model is greatly underestimated. MPI simulates the annual cycle of temperature well, while UKHI successfully reproduces the annual cycle of precipitation. The analysis also indicates that the summer temperature variability of the two models is not driven by circulation changes.This paper was presented at the Second International Conference on Modelling of Global Climate Variability, held in Hamburg 7–11 September 1992 under the auspices of the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology. Guest Editor for these papers is L. Dümenil     

Spatial analysis of daily rainfall intensity and concentration index in Peninsular Malaysia

This study presents the spatial analysis of daily rainfall intensity and concentration index over Peninsular Malaysia. Daily rainfall data from 50 rainfall stations are used in this study. Due to the limited number of stations, the geostatistical method of ordinary kriging is used to compute the values of daily rainfall concentration and intensity and to map their spatial distribution. The resultant analysis of rainfall concentration indicated that the distribution of daily rainfall is more regular over the west, northwest and southwest regions compared to the east. Large areas of the eastern Peninsula display an irregularity in distribution of daily rainfall. In terms of number of rainy days, analysis of daily rainfall confirms that a large number of rainy days across the Peninsula arise from low-intensity events but only contribute a small percentage of total rain. On the other hand, a low frequency of rainy days with high-intensity events contributes the largest percentage of total rain. The results indicated that the total rain in eastern areas is mainly contributed by the high-intensity events. This finding explains the occurrence of a large number of floods and soil erosions in these areas. Therefore, precautionary measures should be taken earlier to prevent any massive destruction of property and loss of life due to the hazards. These research findings are of considerable importance in providing enough information to water resource management, climatologists and agriculturists as well as hydrologists for planning their activities and modelling processes.     

Spatial variation of deterministic chaos in mean daily temperature and rainfall over Nigeria

Daily rainfall and temperature data from 47 locations across Nigeria for the 36-year period 1979–2014 were treated to time series analysis technique to investigate some nonlinear trends in rainfall and temperature data. Some quantifiers such as Lyapunov exponents, correlation dimension, and entropy were obtained for the various locations. Positive Lyapunov exponents were obtained for the time series of mean daily rainfall for all locations in the southern part of Nigeria while negative Lyapunov exponents were obtained for all locations in the Northern part of Nigeria. The mean daily temperature had positive Lyapunov exponent values (0.35–1.6) for all the locations. Attempts were made in reconstructing the phase space of time series of rainfall and temperature.     

Spatial patterns and temporal trends of daily precipitation indices in Iran

Spatial patterns of daily precipitation indices and their temporal trends over Iran are investigated using the APHRODITE gridded daily precipitation dataset for the period 1961–2004. The performance and limitations of the gridded dataset are checked against observations at ten rain-gauge stations that are representative of different climates in Iran. Results suggest that the spatial patterns of the indices reflect the role of orography and sea neighborhoods in differentiating central-southern arid and semi-arid regions from northern and western mountainous humid areas. It is also found that western Iran is impacted by the most extreme daily precipitation events occurring in the country, though the number of rainy days has its maximum in the Caspian Sea region. The time series of precipitation indices is checked for long-term trends using the least squares method and Mann-Kendall test. The maximum daily precipitation per year shows upward trends in most of Iran, though being statistically significant only in western regions. In the same regions, upward trends are also observed in the number of wet days and in the accumulated precipitation and intensity during wet days. Conversely, the contribution of precipitation events below the 75th percentile to the annual total precipitation is decreasing with time, suggesting that extreme events are responsible for the upward trend observed in the total annual precipitation and in the other indices. This tendency towards more severe/extreme precipitation events, if confirmed by other datasets and further analyses with longer records, would require the implementation of adequate water resources management plans in western Iran aimed at mitigating the increasing risk of intense precipitation and associated flash floods and soil erosion.     

增暖背景下东亚夏季风区降水演变的空间模态及其形成机制

基于CMIP5中全新世(Mid-Holocene,6 ka BP)试验及RCP8.5试验的对比,本文研究了不同增暖情景下东亚夏季风区降水演变的空间模态及其成因.结果表明,两种增暖情景下东亚夏季风区降水演变的空间模态存在显著差异.轨道辐射主导的中全新世暖期期间,东亚夏季风区降水演变的空间模态为经向三极子结构;而大气C...     

青藏高原汛期降水异常空间分布及水汽配置

青藏高原汛期(5—9月)降水具有南北反相的空间分布特征,利用青藏高原67个台站1967—2008年逐月降水资料,分别讨论了汛期各月降水的主要空间分布型以及初夏(5—6月)和盛夏(7—8月)对应的水汽配置和环流异常.结果表明:初夏高原降水以南北反相型(North-South Reverse Type,NSRT)为主,全区一致型(Whole Region Consistent Type,WRCT)次之;盛夏高原降水以WRCT为主.高原降水呈现NSRT分布时,初夏水汽由高原南部输向北部,而盛夏高原北部为水汽辐合区,南部为水汽辐散区.高原降水呈现WRCT分布时,初夏高原水汽主要来自西太平洋,盛夏水汽主要来自阿拉伯海向东转向的水汽输送,该水汽输送由高原西南地区进入高原.在500 hPa位势高度场上,初夏(盛夏)降水两种主要空间分布型的位势高度差异以经(纬)向差异为主,且影响高原降水异常分布的系统多为深厚系统.     

Spatial and temporal variability of the frequency of extreme daily rainfall regime in the La Plata Basin during the 20th century

We analyzed trends, interdecadal variability, and the quantification of the changes in the frequency of daily rainfall for two thresholds: 0.1 mm and percentile 75th, using high quality daily series from 52 stations in the La Plata Basin (LPB). We observed increases in the annual frequencies in spatially coherent areas. This coherence was more marked in austral summer, autumn, and spring, during which the greatest increases occurred in southern Brazil, especially during extreme events. In winter, the low and middle basins of the Río Uruguay and Río Paraná showed negative trends, some of which were significant. Interdecadal variability is well defined in the region with more pronounced positive jumps west of the basin between 1950 and 2000. This variability was particularly more marked during periods of extreme rainfall in summer, autumn, and spring, unlike in winter when extreme daily rainfall in the lower Rio Paraná basin decreased by up to 60%. The changes in the past century during extreme rainfall produced modifications in the annual rainfall cycle. The annual cycle of both indices was broader during the last period which is mainly explained by the strong decreases in winter.     

达县降水日变化特征分析

利用达县1959～1998年3～10月逐时降水资料，按逐时降水量≥0．1mm、≥5．0mm、≥10．0mm、≥20．0mm、≥25．0mm等标准分类作降水量、降水频次(概率)以及降水过程开始、结束、持续时间等方面的统计，得出了降水日变化的一些特征，同时对其成因进行了分析。     

达县降水日变化特征分析

利用达县1959～1998年3～10月逐时降水资料,按逐时降水量≥0.1mm、≥5.0mm、≥10.0mm、≥20.0mm、≥25.0mm等标准分类作降水量、降水频次(概率)以及降水过程开始、结束、持续时间等方面的统计,得出了降水日变化的一些特征,同时对其成因进行了分析.     

Recurrent daily OLR patterns in the Southern Africa/Southwest Indian Ocean region,implications for South African rainfall and teleconnections

A cluster analysis of daily outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) anomalies from 1979 to 2002 over the Southern Africa/Southwest Indian Ocean (SWIO) region for the November to February season reveals seven robust and statistically well separated recurrent patterns of large-scale organized convection. Among them are three regimes indicative of well defined tropical–temperate interactions linking the hinterland parts of Southern Africa to the mid-latitudes of the SWIO. Preferred transitions show a tendency for an eastward propagation of these systems. Analysis of daily rainfall records for South Africa shows that six of the OLR regimes are associated with spatially coherent and significant patterns of enhanced or reduced daily rainfall over the country. Atmospheric anomalies from the NCEP/DOE II reanalysis dataset show that the OLR regimes are associated with either regional or near-global adjustments of the atmospheric circulation, the three regimes representative of tropical–temperate interactions being in particular related to a well-defined wave structure encompassing the subtropical and temperate latitudes, featuring strong vertical anomalies and strong poleward export of momentum in the lee of the location of the cloud-band. The time-series of OLR regimes seasonal frequency are correlated to distinctive anomaly patterns in the global sea-surface-temperature field, among which are shown to be those corresponding to El Nino and La Nina conditions. The spatial signature of El Nino Southern Oscillation’s (ENSO) influence is related to the combination of an increased/decreased frequency of these regimes. It is shown in particular that the well-known “dipole” in convection anomalies contrasting Southern Africa and the SWIO during ENSO events arises as an effect of seasonal averaging and is therefore not valid at the synoptic scale. This study also provides a framework to better understand the observed non-linearities between ENSO and the seasonal convection and rainfall anomalies over the region.     

Analysis of Hawaiian diurnal rainfall patterns

Summary We analyzed hourly precipitation data over the period 1965–1998 for 133 stations located throughout the Hawaiian Islands and found distinctive diurnal cycles in the amount and frequency of the rainfall. The diurnal signals were generally strongest on the island of Hawaii and more pronounced in the summer than in the winter. Windward sides of the islands generally showed the time of maximum for frequency or amount to be before sunrise while the leeward sides generally revealed the primary maximum in the afternoon. We conducted the analyses for El Niño years and La Niña years and found the diurnal patterns in rainfall to be unaffected by this Pacific-area oscillation. The results are consistent with others who have argued, based on work on the island of Hawaii, that anabatic and katabatic wind flows are responsible for the observed diurnal rainfall patterns. A semi-diurnal cycle with two maxima and two minima appears to be important in the summer season in the leeward locations. Our results show that processes and patterns described for the island of Hawaii are found throughout the larger islands of the Hawaii chain.     

Modeling the role of rainfall patterns in seasonal malaria transmission

Seasonal total precipitation is well known to affect malaria transmission because Anopheles mosquitoes depend on standing water for breeding habitat. However, the within-season temporal pattern of the rainfall influences persistence of standing water and thus rainfall patterns can also affect mosquito population dynamics in water-limited environments. Here, using a numerical simulation, I show that intraseasonal rainfall pattern accounts for 39% of the variance in simulated mosquito abundance in a Niger Sahel village where malaria is endemic but highly seasonal. I apply a field validated coupled hydrology and entomology model. Using synthetic rainfall time series generated using a stationary first-order Markov Chain model, I hold all variables except hourly rainfall constant, thus isolating the contribution of rainfall pattern to variance in mosquito abundance. I further show the utility of hydrology modeling using topography to assess precipitation effects by analyzing collected water. Time-integrated surface area of pools explains 70% of the variance in simulated mosquito abundance from a mechanistic model, and time-integrated surface area of pools persisting longer than 7?days explains 82% of the variance. Correlations using the hydrology model output explain more variance in mosquito abundance than the 60% from rainfall totals. I extend this analysis to investigate the impacts of this effect on malaria vector mosquito populations under climate shift scenarios, holding all climate variables except precipitation constant. In these scenarios, rainfall mean and variance change with climatic change, and the modeling approach evaluates the impact of non-stationarity in rainfall and the associated rainfall patterns on expected mosquito activity.     

Changing patterns in rainfall extremes in South Australia

Theoretical and Applied Climatology - Daily rainfall records from seven stations in South Australia, with record lengths from 50 to 137 years and a common period of 36 years, are...     

Simulated changes in daily rainfall intensity due to the enhanced greenhouse effect: implications for extreme rainfall events

In this study we present rainfall results from equilibrium 1 ×– and 2 × CO₂ experiments with the CSIRO 4-level general circulation model. The 1 × CO₂ results are discussed in relation to observed climate. Discussion of the 2 × CO₂ results focuses upon changes in convective and non-convective rainfall as simulated in the model, and the consequences these changes have for simulated daily rainfall intensity and the frequency of heavy rainfall events. In doing this analysis, we recognize the significant shortcomings of GCM simulations of precipitation processes. However, because of the potential significance of any changes in heavy rainfall events as a result of the enhanced greenhouse effect, we believe a first examination of relevant GCM rainfall results is warranted. Generally, the model results show a marked increase in rainfall originating from penetrative convection and, in the mid-latitudes, a decline in largescale (non-convective) rainfall. It is argued that these changes in rainfall type are a consequence of the increased moisture holding capacity of the warmer atmosphere simulated for 2 × CO₂ conditions. Related to changes in rainfall type, rainfall intensity (rain per rain day) increases in the model for most regions of the globe. Increases extend even to regions where total rainfall decreases. Indeed, the greater intensity of daily rainfall is a much clearer response of the model to increased greenhouse gases than the changes in total rainfall. We also find a decrease in the number of rainy days in the middle latitudes of both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. To further elucidate these results daily rainfall frequency distributions are examined globally and for four selected regions of interest. In all regions the frequency of high rainfall events increases, and the return period of such events decreases markedly. If realistic, the findings have potentially serious practical implications in terms of an increased frequency and severity of floods in most regions. However, we discuss various important sources of uncertainty in the results presented, and indicate the need for rainfall intensity results to be examined in enhanced greenhouse experiments with other GCMs.     

Changes in daily and monthly rainfall in the Middle Yellow River,China

Highly concentrated precipitation, where a large percentage of annual precipitation occurs over a few days, may include a high risk of flooding and severe soil erosion. Thus, areas with severe erosion such as the Loess Plateau in China are particularly vulnerable to highly concentrated precipitation events due to climate change. In this study, we investigated spatial and temporal patterns in the concentration of rainfall in the Middle Yellow River (MYR) from the last 56 years (1958–2013). We used daily and monthly precipitation data from 26 meteorological stations in the study area to calculate the precipitation concentration index (PCI) and the concentration index (CI). The southern and northern parts of the MYR were characterized by a lower CI with a decreasing trend, while the middle parts had a higher CI with an increasing trend. High PCI values occurred in the southern MYR, while lower PCIs with a more homogenous rainfall distribution were found mainly in the northern parts of the MYR. The annual PCI and CI exhibited positive trends at most stations, although only a minority of stations had significant trends (P < 0.05). At seasonal scales, CI exhibited significantly increasing trends in winter at most stations, while a few stations had significant trends in the other three seasons. These findings provide important reference information to facilitate ecological restoration and farming operations in the study region.