Characteristics of the atmospheric heat source and moisture sink over the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau during the second TIPEX of summer 1998 and their impact on surrounding monsoon

Summary ?Using the data of 6 automatic heat balance observation (AWS) stations and a data set of 52 surface observation stations over the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (“the Plateau”) and surroundings, the horizontal distribution is studied of “apparent atmospheric heat sources” 〈Q ₁〉 and of “apparent atmospheric moisture sinks” 〈Q ₂〉. The AWS stations were established during the period May to August 1998 of the Tibetan Plateau Meteorological Experiment (second TIPEX) by a cooperation of China and Japan. For this period the Plateau mean of 〈Q ₁〉 is positive. Its value of 74 W/m² is a little greater than a climate value and than values from MONEX and the first TIPEX in 1979, respectively. Also the corresponding 〈Q ₂〉 is positive. Hence during that time the Plateau is a heat source and a moisture sink. A day-to-day change of 〈Q ₁〉 and 〈Q ₂〉 is more pronounced over the middle and east part of the Plateau than over the west part. Diagnostics accompanied by numerical simulations are used to study the daily relationship between 〈Q ₁〉 over the Plateau and the weather over China and Asia for this summer. The results suggest that 〈Q ₁〉 may affect precipitation over northern China and position of the west Pacific subtropical high. Abnormal southward retreat of this Pacific high seems to have caused the second flood over the middle and lower Yangtse river basin in July. Received May 20, 2001; revised February 2, 2002     

Comparison of the Langrangian Footprint

We compare flux and concentration footprint estimates of athree-dimensional Lagrangian stochastic dispersion modelapplying backward trajectories with the results of ananalytical footprint model by Kormann and Meixner.The comparison is performed for varying stability regimesof the surface layer as well as for different measurementheights. In general, excellent correspondence is found.     

Synthesis of accelerations of the 1976 Tangshan earthquake(M_S 7.8)in near-and far-field by using semi-empirical method

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On the role of flux adjustments in an idealized coupled climate model

 The effect of employing flux adjustments on the climatic response of an idealized coupled model to an imposed radiative forcing is investigated with two coupled models, one of which employs flux adjustments. A linear reduction (to the planetary longwave flux) of 4 W/m² is applied over a 70 y period and held constant thereafter. Similar model responses are found (during the initial 70 y period) for global-scale diagnostics of hemispheric air temperature due to the nearly linear surface-air temperature response to the radiative forcing. Significant regional scale differences do exist, however. As the perturbation away from the present climate grows, basin-scale diagnostics (such as meridional overturning rates) begin to diverge between flux adjusted and non-flux adjusted models. Once the imposed radiative forcing is held constant, differences in global mean air temperature of up to 0.5 °C are found, with large regional-scale differences in air temperature and overturning rates within the North Atlantic and Southern Ocean. Two additional experiments with the flux adjusted model (beginning from points further along the control integration) suggest that the elimination of much of the coupling shock before the radiative forcing is applied leads to results slightly closer to the non-flux adjusted case, although large differences still persist. In particular a dipole structure indicating an enhanced warming within the Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean, and cooling within the Atlantic sector is not reproduced by the flux adjusted models. This disparity is intimately linked to the Southern Ocean overturning cell along with the flux adjustments employed as well as the drift arising from coupling shock. If a similar form of sensitivity exists in more realistic coupled models, our results suggest: (1) perturbation experiments should not be undertaken until after the coupled model control experiment is carried out for several hundred years (thereby minimizing the coupling shock); (2) care should be exercised in the interpretation of regional-scale results (over the ocean) in coupled models which employ flux adjustments; (3) care should also be taken in interpreting even global-scale diagnostics in flux adjusted models for large perturbations about the present climate. Received: 15 November 1996 / Accepted: 4 June 1997     

Column Amounts of ClONO2, HCl, HNO3, and HF from Ground-Based FTIR Measurements Made Near Kiruna, Sweden, in Late Winter 1994

During SESAME phase I ground-based FTIR measurements were performed atEsrange near Kiruna, Sweden, from 28 January to 26 March 1994. Zenith columnamounts of ClONO₂, HCl, HF, HNO₃,O₃, N₂O, CH₄, and CFC-12 werederived from solar absorption spectra. Time series of ClONO₂and HCl indicate a chlorine activation at the end of January and around 1March. On 1 March a very low amount of HCl of 2.09times; 10¹⁵molec. cm^-2 was detected, probably caused by a second chlorineactivation phase starting from an already decreased amount of HCl. The ratioof column amounts of HCl to ClONO₂ decreased inside the vortexfrom about 1 in January to 0.4 in late March compared to values of about 2outside the vortex. Although the Arctic stratosphere was rather warm in winter1993/94 and PSCs occurred seldom, chlorine partitioning into its reservoirspecies HCl and ClONO₂ changed during that winter andClONO₂ is the major chlorine reservoir at the end of thewinter as in cold winters like 1991/92 and 1994/95.     

Reactive Nitrogen Compounds at Spitsbergen in the Norwegian Arctic

Simultaneousindependent measurements of NO_y and NO_x(NO_x= NO + NO₂) by high-sensitivitychemiluminescence systems and of PAN (peroxyacetylnitrate) and PPN (peroxypropionyl nitrate) by GC-ECDwere made at Spitsbergen in the Norwegian Arcticduring the first half year of 1994. The average mixingratio of the sum of PAN and PPN (denoted PANs)increased from around 150 pptv in early winter to amaximum of around 500 pptv in late March, whereasepisodic peak values reached 800 pptv. This occurredsimultaneously with a maximum in ozone which increasedto 45–50 ppbv in March–April. The average NO_xmixing ratio was 27 pptv and did not show any cyclethrough the period. The NO_y mixing ratio showeda maximum in late March, while the difference betweenNO_y and PAN decreased during spring. This is anindication of the dominance of PAN in the NO_ybudget in the Arctic, but possible changes in theefficiency of the NO_y converter could alsocontribute to this. Although most PAN in theArctic is believed to be due to long range transport,the observations indicate local loss and formationrates of up to 1–2 pptv h^-1 in April–May.Measurements of carbonyl compounds suggest thatacetaldehyde was the dominant, local precursor ofPAN.Now at 1.     

The phase lag of temperature behind global solar radiation over Egypt

Summary The relation between the air temperature and the global solar radiation, which can be conveniently represented by the three characteristics: mean, amplitude and phase lag of the first harmonic of global radiation and air temperatures. A good correlation between the air temperature and the solar radiation has been found when the phase lag between them is nearly of 30 days.With 6 Figures     

Multiresolution Flux Decomposition

Geophysical variables are orthogonally decomposed by averaging timeseries using different averaging lengths, referred to as a (Haar)multiresolution decomposition. This simple and economic decomposition isassociated with cospectra that formally satisfy Reynolds averaging rules foreach averaging length. The multiresolution decomposition provides a naturalestimate of the random error in estimating a mean turbulent flux. The Fourierand multiresolution decompositions are compared using aircraft data fromBOREAS.