Decreasing precipitation occurs in daily extreme precipitation intervals across China in observations and model simulations

Extreme precipitation response to increasing temperature includes not only changes of frequency and intensity, but also changes of extreme precipitation interval (EPIV) and the precipitation during the neighboring daily extreme precipitations interval (EPIP). These changes have not been fully evaluated yet in observations or climate model simulations although they are very useful to understand variations of extreme precipitation. We used daily precipitation data from 669 meteorological stations during the past five decades across China and projections of 19 general circulation models from CMIP5 under the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios to investigate variations of EPIV and EPIP. We found the national average annual EPIV increased across China during the last five decades, while annual EPIP significantly decreased. The decreases mainly occurred in southwest China, east China, and southeast China. At national and regional scales, the average annual EPIV and EPIP showed greater decreases under the RCP8.5 scenario than those under the RCP4.5 scenario from 2006 to 2100. Annual EPIP showed a stronger correlation with extreme precipitation intensity than EPIV. The national average annual EPIP had a significant positive correlation with the Western Pacific Subtropical High Area Index. The abnormal geopotential heights over western Mongolia and the western Pacific at 500 hpa as well as the abnormal SSTs in Japan Sea and the western of Pacific in rainy seasons would result in abnormal annual EPIVs and EPIPs in China. This study may provide references for flooding prediction, water resources management, and disaster prevention and mitigation.     

CMIP5 model simulations of warm Arctic-cold Eurasia pattern in winter surface air temperature anomalies

Climate Dynamics - The second empirical orthogonal function mode (EOF2) of winter surface air temperature (SAT) over 0°–180° E, 40°–90° N during 1979–2005 is...     

河南省区域暴雪的天气学分型及应用

普查了1986-2000年冬季河南省70个暴雪的个例资料,分析了河南省暴雪的时空分布特征及其天气形势特征,建立了横槽型和两槽一脊型的暴雪天气学模型.通过对2003年2月9-10日(横槽型)和2003年3月4-5日(两槽一脊型)河南省出现的两场区域性暴雪过程的环流背景、成因特征、物理量等的对比分析发现,暴雪天气一般发生在经向环流与纬向环流相互调整之时,低空急流与低层切变线上气旋性曲率东扩或低涡东移是产生暴雪的重要原因,冷垫是产生暴雪的基本条件,最后给出了两类典型暴雪的具体预报特征.     

西宁曹家堡机场雷暴统计特征分析

基于2006—2015年西宁曹家堡机场的雷暴观测资料,从雷暴日（次）数、持续时间、初现方位、伴随天气现象和雷暴初终日特征方面对该高原机场的雷暴特征进行统计分析。结果表明,曹家堡机场年平均雷暴日数为34.7 d,主要发生在5—9月,夏季是该机场雷暴的集中爆发期;雷暴具有明显的日变化特征,集中发生在午后至夜间（16—22时）,持续时间在2 h以内;雷暴初现方位以偏西、偏北为主,偏西、偏北的对流云团发展是该机场飞行保障的关注重点;雷暴伴随天气现象以干雷暴和小阵雨为主,而少数伴有中、大阵雨的强雷暴主要发生在夏季;雷暴初终日平均间隔为173.2 d,并且初雷能充分体现该机场的典型雷暴特征。     

杭州市钱塘新区地下空间开发地质环境适宜性评价

地下空间地质环境适宜性评价是实现地下空间合理有序开发的重要环节,也是国土空间科学规划的必要前提。通过系统分析杭州市钱塘新区地质环境条件,从地形地貌、工程地质条件、水文地质条件、活动断裂及地震效应、环境地质问题等五个方面选取15个指标构建了地下空间开发地质环境适宜性评价指标体系。在此基础上,采用变权层次分析法和灰色关联分析模型,对浅层(0~ 15m)、次浅层(15~ 30m)、次深层(30~ 50 m)地下空间进行了开发利用地质环境条件适宜性评价。结果表明,研究区浅层和次深层地下空间更适宜开发,而次浅层地下空间适宜性好和适宜性较好的总面积仅占全区的45.7%,地质环境条件复杂,具有一定的开发难度。该结果可为钱塘新区地下空间合理开发提供参考。     

Simulated impacts of afforestation in East China monsoon region as modulated by ocean variability

Using the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Climate System Model Version 3.5, this paper examines the climatic effects of afforestation in the East China monsoon region with a focus on land–atmosphere interactions and the modulating influence of ocean variability. In response to afforestation, the local surface air temperature significantly decreases in summer and increases in winter. The summer cooling is attributed to enhanced evapotranspiration from increased tree cover. During winter, afforestation induces greater roughness and weaker winds over the adjacent coastal ocean, leading to diminished latent heat flux and increased sea-surface temperature (SST). The enhanced SST supports greater atmospheric water vapor, which is accompanied by anomalous wind, and transported into the East China monsoon region. The increase in atmospheric water vapor favors more cloud cover and precipitation, especially in the eastern afforestation region. Furthermore, the increase in atmospheric water vapor and cloud cover produce a greenhouse effect, raising the wintertime surface air temperature. By comparing simulations in which ocean temperature are either fixed or variable, we demonstrate that a significant hydrologic response in East China to afforestation only occurs if ocean temperatures are allowed to vary and the oceanic source of moisture to the continent is enhanced.     

2011年宁夏川区一次高温天气分析

文章利用Micaps资料及数值预报产品,对2011年6月15日宁夏川区高温天气进行了分析,结果表明:此次高温天气主要影响系统是河西一带产生暖性高压东移形成河套高压。从低层到高层盛行暖平流是高温出现的直接因素,气流的上升下沉加快了暖流扩散。     

Aerodynamic Parameters of a UK City Derived from Morphological Data

Detailed three-dimensional building data and a morphometric model are used to estimate the aerodynamic roughness length z ₀ and displacement height d over a major UK city (Leeds). Firstly, using an adaptive grid, the city is divided into neighbourhood regions that are each of a relatively consistent geometry throughout. Secondly, for each neighbourhood, a number of geometric parameters are calculated. Finally, these are used as input into a morphometric model that considers the influence of height variability to predict aerodynamic roughness length and displacement height. Predictions are compared with estimations made using standard tables of aerodynamic parameters. The comparison suggests that the accuracy of plan-area-density based tables is likely to be limited, and that height-based tables of aerodynamic parameters may be more accurate for UK cities. The displacement heights in the standard tables are shown to be lower than the current predictions. The importance of geometric details in determining z ₀ and d is then explored. Height variability is observed to greatly increase the predicted values. However, building footprint shape only has a significant influence upon the predictions when height variability is not considered. Finally, we develop simple relations to quantify the influence of height variation upon predicted z ₀ and d via the standard deviation of building heights. The difference in these predictions compared to the more complex approach highlights the importance of considering the specific shape of the building-height distributions. Collectively, these results suggest that to accurately predict aerodynamic parameters of real urban areas, height variability must be considered in detail, but it may be acceptable to make simple assumptions about building layout and footprint shape.     

A Comment on “How Well Can We Measure the Vertical Wind Speed? Implications for Fluxes of Energy and Mass” by Kochendorfer et al.

Kochendorfer et al. (Boundary-Layer Meterol, 145:383–398, 2012) conducted an experiment to evaluate azimuth and angle-of-attack dependent errors of sonic anemometer measurements. Several questions are raised regarding the experimental design and the presented results. The finding that instruments with non-orthogonal sonic paths underestimate fluctuations of vertical wind speed and consequently also scalar fluxes by about 10 % is compared with the results of a hitherto unpublished side-by-side field comparison and other past intercomparison experiments. Scale considerations are presented that raise considerable doubts on the validity of the implicit assumption of Kochendorfer et al. (2012) that the turbulent wind vector is highly correlated across a distance of 1.2 m at a height of 2.5 m over flat grassland, which corresponds to the separation between the sonic anemometers tested in their experiment. Nevertheless, new developments in sonic anemometer design to minimize transducer-shadow effects are desirable.     

Changes in pick beginning date and frost damage risk of tea tree in Longjing tea-producing area

We analyze the pick beginning date and frost damage risk trends of Jiukeng, Longjing-43, and Wuniuzao tea trees with time, using meteorological data from 12 station pairs over the period 1971–2010 in the Longjing tea-producing area. The pick beginning date of Jiukeng, Longjing-43, and Wuniuzao varieties had no statistically significant trends before 1990. The pick beginning date of Jiukeng variety had statistically significant decreasing trends after 1990, and there were no statistically significant trends in the start date after 1990 for Longjing-43 and Wuniuzao varieties. The average pick beginning dates of Longjing-43 and Wuniuzao varieties before 1990 are later than those after 1990 by 3.8–4.8 and 2.0–3.1 days, respectively. We used the trend of difference between beginning date of tea plucking (BDTP) and 0 °C terminal date to analyze frost damage risk trends. Eleven counties had no statistically significant frost damage risk trends for Jiukeng, Longjing-43, and Wuniuzao varieties, leaving only one county with statistically significant trends.