A note on some early radiosonde temperature observations in the Antarctic lower stratosphere

The behaviour of the Southern Hemisphere stratosphere has attracted considerable interest, and been compared with the Northern Hemisphere, since the International Geophysical Year (1957–58) when the sudden (explosive or accelerated) springtime warming phenomenon in the Antarctic was first observed. Over the years studies of upper air temperature and wind observations have been made, principally through the spring months when the polar vortex breakdown occurs, utilising both ground-based (rawinsonde, rocket) and more recently, satellite-derived data. Although the radiosonde-derived temperature data are limited both by the number of reporting stations, and the practical difficulty of securing observations much above the 100 hPa level, useful records exist from 1956 or 1957. These have shown that in the 1959 southern spring, the lower stratosphere was relatively colder, and the warming rate through the season was essentially more regular, with little evidence of the marked but short-lived temperature fluctuations usually found. Similar, but not quite such wide-spread conditions occurred again in the 1961 spring. In another study, 30 hPa temperature fields over the Antarctic continent, which could be drawn for the 1967 spring, showed the complexity of the polar vortex breakdown. These features are recalled because extension of the 100 hPa springtime temperature series for the Australian Antarctic station at Casey (66.3°S, 110.5°E) shows that in 1985 and part of 1986, the temperature behaviour there was similar to, but not quite so extreme as that which occurred at Mirny (66.5°S, 93.0°E) in 1959.     

Total precipitable water in the atmosphere over India

Electromagnetic radiation, in its passage through the atmosphere, is attenuated by absorption and scattering by atmospheric gases, dust and aerosols. The most important absorber is water vapour and the most significant parameter in atmospheric absorption studies is the total precipitable water in the atmosphere. The present paper summarises the results of a study made to compute the total precipitable water in the atmosphere over India using radiosonde and other data, as part of a programme for the computation of direct, global and diffuse solar radiation at the ground from the solar constant. Using values of air temperature and dew point from the ground up to 250 mb at 19 radiosonde stations and surface water vapour mixing ratio values at 105 surface observatories in India, precipitable water amounts have been computed for 124 stations, for each month and for the whole year. The paper describes the techniques used to extend the total precipitable water amounts derived from radiosonde data at 19 stations to 124 stations covering the major climatic zones in the country and presents the results in the form of 12 maps showing the spatial and temporal distribution of total precipitable water over India     

顾及边界入射信号的多模水汽层析方法

利用GNSS三维水汽层析技术全天候地获取高时空采样率的水汽垂直分布信息,已成为GNSS气象学中一大研究热点。当前,基于单一导航系统的传统层析方法存在观测数据利用率低、观测分布不均等不足。本文设计和实现了一种顾及边界入射信号的多模水汽层析方法,采用香港CORS网观测数据和无线电探空产品进行精度验证,并详细分析边界入射信号和多模层顶信号的引入对层析水汽结果的改善程度。结果表明:相较于传统GPS层析方法,本文采用的融合两类多模层顶信号和边界入射信号的新水汽层析方法,兼备边界入射信号和多模层顶信号的优点,可得到更高精度和更可靠的三维水汽信息。     

新型GPS探空仪与业务GTS1 2探空仪对比分析

2012年8月,中国气象局气象探测中心在广东阳江开展自动探空系统新型GPS探空仪比对试验,对比分析其技术改进后的准确性,试验结果表明：温度测量性明显优于GTS1 2型探空仪。湿度测量结果与RS92型探空仪一致性较好,系统误差在15%RH内,标准偏差在12%RH内。气压系统误差全量程在±10 hPa内,标准偏差在08 hPa内。位势高度系统误差在±20 gpm以内,标准偏差在70 gpm内。GPS定位测风性能优于GTS1 2型探空仪配合L波段二次测风雷达测风性能结果。     

An Evaluation of Temperature and Precipitation Surface-Based and Reanalysis Datasets for the Canadian Arctic, 1950–2010

The spatial and temporal consistency of seasonal air temperature and precipitation in eight widely used gridded observation-based climate datasets (CANGRD, CRU-TS3.1, CRUTEM4.1, GISTEMP, GPCC, GPCP, HadCRUT3, and UDEL) and eight reanalyses (20CR, CFSR, ERA-40, ERA-Interim, JRA25, MERRA, NARR, and NCEP2) was evaluated over the Canadian Arctic for the 1950–2010 period. The evaluation used the CANGRD dataset, which is based on homogenized temperature and adjusted precipitation from climate stations, as a reference. Dataset agreement and bias were observed to exhibit important spatial, seasonal, and temporal variability over the Canadian Arctic with the largest spread occurring between datasets over mountain and coastal regions and over the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Reanalysis datasets were typically warmer and wetter than surface observation-based datasets, with CFSR and 20CR exhibiting biases in total annual precipitation on the order of 300?mm. Warm bias in 20CR exceeded 12°C in winter over the western Arctic. Analysis of the temporal consistency of datasets over the 1950–2010 period showed evidence of discontinuities in several datasets as well as a noticeable increase in dataset spread in the period after approximately 2000. Declining station networks, increased automation, and the inclusion of new satellite data streams in reanalyses are potential contributing factors to this phenomenon. Evaluation of trends over the 1950–2010 period showed a relatively consistent picture of warming and increased precipitation over the Canadian Arctic from all datasets, with CANGRD giving moistening trends two times larger than the multi-dataset average related to the adjustment of the station precipitation data. The study results indicate that considerable care is needed when using gridded climate datasets in local or regional scale applications in the Canadian Arctic.     

The vertical structure of the atmospheric boundary layer over the central Arctic Ocean

The tropopause height and the atmospheric boundarylayer （PBL） height as well as the variation of inversion layer above the floating ice surface are presented using GPS （global position system ） radiosonde sounding data and relevant data obtained by Chinas fourth arctic scientific expedition team over the central Arctic Ocean （86°-88°N, 144°-170°W） during the summer of 2010. The tropopause height is from 9.8 to 10.5 km, with a temperature range between -52.2 and -54.10C in the central Arctic Ocean. Two zones of maximum wind （over 12 m/s） are found in the wind profile, namely, low- and upper-level jets, located in the middle troposphere and the tropopause, respectively. The wind direction has a marked variation point in the two jets from the southeast to the southwest. The average PBL height determined by two methods is 341 and 453 m respectively. These two methods can both be used when the inversion layer is very low, but the results vary significantly when the inversion layer is very high. A significant logarithmic relationship exists between the PBL height and the inversion intensity, with a correlation coefficient of 0.66, indicating that the more intense the temperature inversion is, the lower the boundary layer will be. The observation results obviously differ from those of the third arctic expedition zone （800-85° N）. The PBL height and the inversion layer thickness are much lower than those at 870-88° N, but the inversion temperature is more intense, meaning a strong ice- atmosphere interaction in the sea near the North Pole. The PBL structure is related to the weather system and the sea ice concentration, which affects the observation station.     

探空观测黑名单检查在变分同化系统中的应用

针对探空观测资料使用造成的某些区域GRAPES分析场存在虚假的高、低压系统问题,该文通过对比全球探空资料的位势高度观测与NCEP分析场,统计站点中观测质量较差的时次出现频数,确定探空位势高度观测黑名单。研究表明:500 hPa在印度地区、北大西洋和南极洲附近的探空位势高度观测与NCEP分析场的均方根误差在30 gpm以上的站点较多,且位势高度观测不可靠观测比率为20%以上的站点主要集中这些区域,以上观测站均列入黑名单。文中在GRAPES全球三维变分分析场的质量控制中加入探空位势高度观测黑名单检查,通过6 h分析预报循环试验表明:探空位势高度观测黑名单检查能有效提高分析场质量,GRAPES位势高度分析场在南极洲附近和印度地区有所改善。     

GNSS约束的MERSI/FY-3A PWV校准方法EI北大核心CSCD

精确的水汽信息对于短临天气预警和长期气候监测具有重要意义。本文针对搭载在我国第2代极轨卫星风云三号A星(FY-3A)上中分辨率光谱成像仪(medium-resolution spectral imager,MERSI)获取水汽精度较低的现状,提出一种GNSS约束的MERSI/FY-3A PWV校准方法。首先,对MERSI/FY-3A的PWV段产品进行处理得到水汽日产品,并利用GNSS和无线电探空(radiosonde,RS)数据对其进行评估;然后,根据PWV的季节分布特性,构建GNSS约束的MERSI/FY-3A PWV季节自适应校准模型;最后,分别利用GNSS、RS和再分析资料对校准后的MERSI/FY-3A水汽进行对比,验证提出方法的有效性。研究表明:本文提出的PWV校准方法,能够有效改善MERSI/FY-3A水汽日产品和旬产品的精度,改善率分别为58.63%和68.72%。该方法可为遥感水汽快速校准研究提供重要的理论依据。     

利用不同资料研究我国大陆上空柱水汽含量

利用1971—2001年探空资料以及ERA-40和NCEP/NCAR再分析资料分别得到地面到300 hPa我国大陆上空大气柱水汽含量,对3种不同资料所得的柱水汽含量的空间分布特征以及线性趋势进行对比分析。结果表明:3种资料得到的柱水汽含量年平均和季节平均的空间分布特征一致;3种资料年平均的线性变化趋势在东北地区、内蒙古东部地区,西南地区北部、华南沿海和新疆北部地区均呈增加趋势;在华北和华东的部分地区,ERA-40和NCEP/NCAR再分析资料为降低趋势,而探空资料得到的柱水汽含量变化相对较小,但未通过信度检验;探空资料得到的柱水汽含量的相对变化显示我国东北地区、内蒙古东部地区、新疆地区的增加更显著。     

豫北一次局地雹暴天气的预警特征和触发机制

利用常规气象观测、多普勒雷达、卫星资料和区域自动站观测资料及NCEP再分析资料,对2011年6月11日豫北局地强对流天气的预报预警特征和触发机制进行分析。结果表明：局地强对流天气是在东北冷涡背景下产生的,高低层中尺度影响系统(槽、切变线、大风速轴)交汇处右侧是强对流发生潜势区。局地强对流天气发生前,CAPE较大,0-6 km垂直风切变达到中等偏强,有利于超级单体的形成和发展。高空冷平流南侵、低层暖平流北上,有利于大气对流不稳定度进一步加大。中-β尺度强对流云团在东北冷涡槽底后部形成,其发展演变对局地强对流天气预报预警有参考意义。强对流回波经历了细胞状、带状发展期和块状减弱期。回波带南侧形成的超级单体造成了局地强风雹天气,冰雹发生时伴有“三体散射”现象。冷空气和地面辐合线是强对流天气的主要触发机制;地面辐合线对强对流天气还有提示作用。