Importance of no‐rain measurements on the comparison of radar and rain gauge rain rate

This study evaluated four possible cases of comparing radar and rain gauge rain rate for the detection of mean‐field bias. These four cases, or detection designs, consider in this study are: (1) design 1‐uses all the data sets available, including zero radar rain rate and zero rain gauge rain rate, (2) design 2—uses the data sets of positive radar rain rate and zero or positive rain gauge rain rate, (3) design 3—uses the data sets of zero or positive radar rain rate and positive rain gauge rain rate and (4) design 4—uses the data sets of positive radar rain rate and positive rain gauge rain rate. A theoretical review of these four detection designs showed that only the design 1 causes no design bias, but designs 2, 3 and 4 can cause positive, negative and negative design biases, respectively. This theoretical result was also verified by applying these four designs to the rain rate field generated by a multi‐dimensional rain rate model, as well as to that of the Mt Gwanak radar in Korea. The results from both applications showed that especially the design 4, which is generally used for the detection of mean‐field bias of radar rain rate, causes a serious design bias; therefore, is inappropriate as a design for detecting the mean‐field bias of radar rain rate. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Climate variability,snow, and physiographic controls on storm hydrographs in small forested basins,western Cascades,Oregon

Large floods are often attributed to the melting of snow during a rain event. This study tested how climate variability, snowpack presence, and basin physiography were related to storm hydrograph shape in three small (<1 km²) basins with old‐growth forest in western Oregon. Relationships between hydrograph characteristics and precipitation were tested for approximately 800 storms over a nearly 30‐year period. Analyses controlled for (1) snowpack presence/absence, (2) antecedent soil moisture, and (3) hillslope length and gradient. For small storms (<150 mm precipitation), controlling for precipitation, the presence of a snowpack on near‐saturated soil increased the threshold of precipitation before hydrograph rise, extended the start lag, centroid lag, and duration of storm hydrographs, and increased the peak discharge. The presence of a snowpack on near‐saturated soil sped up and steepened storm hydrographs in a basin with short steep slopes, but delayed storm hydrographs in basins with longer or more gentle slopes. Hydrographs of the largest events, which were extreme regional rain and rain‐on‐snow floods, were not sensitive to landform characteristics or snowpack presence/absence. Although the presence of a snowpack did not increase peak discharge in small, forested basins during large storms, it had contrasting effects on storm timing in small basins, potentially synchronizing small basin contributions to the larger basin hydrograph during large rain‐on‐snow events. By altering the relative timing of hydrographs, snowpack melting could produce extreme floods from precipitation events whose size is not extreme. Further work is needed to examine effects of canopy openings, snowpack, and climate warming on extreme rain‐on‐snow floods at the large basin scale. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Land management impacts on runoff sources in small Amazon watersheds

Forest clearing and conversion to cattle pasture in the lowland Amazon region has been linked to soil compaction and increased soil water storage, which combine to diminish soil infiltration, enhance quick lateral flows and increase the stream flow response to precipitation. Quantifying the importance of quick surficial flow in response to this land use change requires identification of water sources within catchments that contribute to stream flow. Using an end member mixing analysis approach, potential contributing sources of stream flow were evaluated during an entire rainy season in a forest and a pasture watershed drained by ephemeral‐to‐intermittent streams in the south‐western Amazon. Water yield was 17% of precipitation in the pasture and 0·8% of precipitation in the forest. During the early rainy season, throughfall, groundwater, and soil water contributed 79%, 18%, and 3%, respectively, to total forest stream flow. Over the entire rainy season, throughfall, groundwater, and shallow soil water provided 57%, 24%, and 19%, respectively, of stream flow. In the pasture watershed, overland flow dominated stream flow both in the early (67%) and late (57%) rainy season, with a mean contribution of 60% overland flow, 35% groundwater, and 5% soil water. The uncertainty associated with those estimates was studied using a Monte Carlo approach. In addition to large changes in total surface flow, marked differences were found in the proportions of total stream flow in the second half of the rainy season between the forest and pasture watershed. These results suggest that (1) there is great potential for alteration of the hydrological budgets of larger watersheds as the proportion of deforested land in the Amazon increases, and (2) as more rainfall is diverted into fast flowpaths to streams in established pastures, the potential to deliver water with higher solute concentrations generated by erosion or by bypassing sites of solute removal increases. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

2011年江苏南部两场大暴雨对比分析

利用高分辨率的加密气象自动站资料、FY2D卫星资料、多普勒雷达资料、常规观测资料以及6 h 1次的NCEP再分析资料等,对2011年6月18日和2011年7月18日江苏地区分别发生在梅雨期开始阶段和结束阶段的两场暴雨进行中尺度天气系统演变和雷达回波参数等特征的对比分析。结果表明:(1)6月18日的天气形势是典型的梅雨期降水形势,在梅雨锋附近产生了区域性暴雨。水汽输送主要是对流层中低层的西南暖湿气流。7月18日的局地暴雨则是出现在低压倒槽顶端右侧的偏东气流中。(2)两次暴雨过程强降水发生前都存在对流层低层辐合快速增强的过程。7月18日暴雨强降水发生前散度值下降则更为迅速。(3)两次暴雨过程中强降水区都出现在地面辐合系统附近的东北气流中,且随着地面辐合系统移动。(4)两次暴雨过程都出现了T_BB低于-62℃的强对流云团。(5)6月18日,与多个线性排列的"逆风区"对应的强回波中心形成了"列车效应";7月18日,对流回波带上单体不断流入,在低空急流左前端合并成团状强对流区,分别是形成两次暴雨的重要原因。     

全球变暖减缓背景下欧亚秋冬温度变化特征和原因

采用气候序列变化趋势诊断和一元线性回归等分析法,研究和讨论了2000-2012年和1976-1999年两种年代际背景下全球陆地不同区域的年平均地表温度的变化特征。发现欧亚大陆中高纬度地区是对全球变暖减缓贡献最大的区域。且该地区在2000年以来秋季年代际增温,而冬季年代际降温。从同期大气环流的配置来看,在对流层低层,秋季西伯利亚高气压年代际减弱,而冬季西伯利亚高气压年代际增强。在对流层中高层,秋季从西欧至东北亚为"高-低-高"的高度场异常分布,纬向环流加强,经向环流减弱,而冬季极地与贝加尔湖地区的高度场呈偶极型分布,东亚大槽加深,经向环流加强。进一步研究发现,超前一个季节的喀拉海附近的海冰与欧亚中高纬度秋冬两季温度的年代际变率有着密切的联系。一方面,夏季(秋季)海冰减少影响秋季(冬季)中高纬度大气环流;另一方面,夏季(秋季)海冰减少,使得秋季(冬季)从北极至中高纬度大陆的对流层低层水汽含量增加(减少),大气逆辐射增强(减弱)导致秋季(冬季)增温(降温)。     

伴随对流层中低层气温持续下降的雪转雨过程分析

利用欧洲中期天气预报中心（ECMWF）0.25°×0.25°分辨率细网格模式产品、探空观测资料和风廓线雷达等资料,对2014年2月18日浙江嘉兴雨雪天气过程中降水相态先由雨转雪、再由雪转雨的变化条件进行了分析,并对ECMWF细网格模式产品进行了预报性能检验,结果表明：模式形势预报准确,但未能预报出雪转雨过程。在对流层中低层气温持续降低的情况下,水汽凝结高度不同是造成两次相态转换的主要原因。上午垂直运动加强,水汽充沛,降水粒子的凝结高度高,足以形成大的雪花,在较低的零度层高度以下降落时不至于融化;下午垂直运动减弱,水汽集中在低层,尽管这一高度层的气温在-3～-2 ℃,但是不足以凝结成固态降水,同时地面气温受海上暖平流影响而回升,因此降水相态由雪转雨。     

雷达雨量计联合估算降水在城市内涝模型中的应用

为了满足城市暴雨内涝模型对面雨量精细化的需求,在天津城市暴雨内涝模型的基础上,将雷达估算降水产品应用到模型面雨量计算中,针对2012年7月25—26日天津的大暴雨过程,考察4种雷达估算降水产品和两种插值方法计算的内涝模型面雨量。经过对比发现,利用变分方法计算的雷达估算降水产品VAR用曲面插值方法计算内涝模型的面雨量整体效果最好。     

一次江淮强暴雨过程的湿有效能量及其收支特征

利用高分辨率的WRF模式模拟结果,采用基于格点的湿有效能量计算方案,对一次江淮梅雨期强暴雨发生发展过程中湿有效能量的时空演变特征进行分析,并从定性和定量的角度探讨了能量方程转换项、平流项和垂直输送项对强暴雨过程中湿有效能量的输送和积聚作用。结果表明,强暴雨过程中湿有效能量的时空特征与强暴雨发生发展具有良好的对应关系,对流层低层800 h Pa湿有效能量40×104J·h Pa-1·m-2的等值线范围和该等值线伸展至500 h Pa附近可作为判断强暴雨发生的必要条件。暴雨发生前2~3 h的能量快速积聚及其对暴雨区移向的引导,对强暴雨预报具有良好的指示作用。湿有效能量的水平和垂直输送及转换确保了能量的积聚和对流层中层能量的增加,为强暴雨的发生和维持提供了充足的能量。     

北京“7.21”特大暴雨云降水结构及云雨转化特征

利用多普勒雷达资料、FY-2E静止卫星和MODIS极轨卫星反演产品,研究2012年7月21日北京特大暴雨的云降水结构及云雨转化特征。结果表明:降水过程三阶段的云降水垂直结构不同。1)在暖区对流降水阶段,降水以暖雨机制启动,雨滴在暖区存在深厚的碰并增长过程,暖雨过程对降水起主要贡献。随着云体的发展,冷雨过程加剧。T-Re分析表明,-10℃层以下云滴凝结碰并显著,-10℃层以上为深厚的冰相增长带,云顶以冰相大粒子为主,云水向雨水转化迅速。2)在锋面对流降水阶段,降水系统为高度组织化的"低质心"强降水液态MCC(Mesoscale Convective Complex)系统。回波强度在冰水混合层增长较快,冻结层是此阶段成雨微物理的关键层。降水粒子在暖云区碰并增长较快,而蒸发或破碎过程并不显著。3)在锋后降水阶段,0℃层附近冰晶粒子与云水的碰并增长较为明显。前期降水存在明显的雨滴蒸发过程。随着云体的发展,暖区云水含量较少,降水粒子不能有效碰并增长。     

2008年1月贵州冻雨的数值模拟和层结结构分析

针对2008年初发生在贵州地区的严重冻雨过程,分别从环流背景、低空急流和水汽输送条件等方面分析了准静止锋维持的原因,并选取本次灾害最严重的第3次过程为典型个例,利用WRF模式针对准静止锋影响下的贵州冻雨进行数值模拟来研究冻雨的发生机制。模拟结果较好地反映出高低空环流形势场特征,强雨雪降水带的走向、落区,以及地面温度的分布,均与观测基本吻合。通过分析高分辨率模式的模拟结果,揭示了准静止锋上贵州地区冻雨的层结结构特征及云物质在冻雨区的分布特征。研究结果表明,贵州中部的冻雨区除一般的三层结构(包含冰晶层、暖层和冷层)外,还具有典型的两层结构特征,即:高空的固体降水粒子稀少,900~600 h Pa深厚的逆温层和0℃以上的暖层使中低空存在大量液态粒子,下落的液滴经过近地面的浅薄冷层,形成大量过冷却雨滴,而后降落至地面迅速冻结。