The June 2013 Alberta catastrophic flooding event – part 2: fine‐scale precipitation and associated features

Data obtained from a variety of sources including the Canadian Lightning Detection Network, weather radars, weather stations and operational numerical weather model analyses were used to address the evolution of precipitation during the June 2013 southern Alberta flood. The event was linked to a mid‐level closed low pressure system to the west of the region and a surface low pressure region initially to its south. This configuration brought warm, moist unstable air into the region that led to dramatic, organized convection with an abundance of lightning and some hail. Such conditions occurred in the southern parts of the region whereas the northern parts were devoid of lightning. Initially, precipitation rates were high (extreme 15‐min rainfall rates up to 102 mm h^?1 were measured) but decreased to lower values as the precipitation shifted to long‐lived stratiform conditions. Both the convective and stratiform precipitation components were affected by the topography. Similar flooding events, such as June 2002, have occurred over this region although the 2002 event was colder and precipitation was not associated with substantial convection over southwest Alberta. Copyright © 2016 Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada. Hydrological Processes. © John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Fluxes and Behaviour of Plumes Inferred from Measurements of Coherent Structures within Images of the Bulk Flow

This paper describes how measurements of the movement of identifiable features at the edge of a turbulent plume can be interpreted to determine the properties of the mean flow and consequently, using plume theory, can be used to make estimates of the fluxes of volume (mass), momentum, and buoyancy in a plume. This means that video recordings of smoke rising from a chimney or buoyant material from a source on the sea bed can be used to make accurate estimates of the source conditions for the plume. At best we can estimate the volume flux and buoyancy flux to within about 5% and 15% of the actual values, respectively. Although this is restricted to the case of a plume rising in a stationary and unstratified environment, we show that the results may be of practical use in other more complex situations. In addition, we demonstrate that large-scale (turbulent) coherent structures at the plume edge form on a scale approximately 40% of the local (mean) plume half-width and travel at almost 60% of the average local (mean) velocity in the plume.     

Anomalous Western Pacific Subtropical High during Late Summer in Weak La Nia Years: Contrast between 1981 and 2013

Both 1981 and 2013 were weak La Niña years with a similar sea surface temperature (SST) anomaly in the tropical Pacific, yet the western Pacific subtropical high (WPSH) during August exhibited an opposite anomaly in the two years. A comparison indicates that, in the absence of a strong SST anomaly in the tropics, the cold advection from Eurasian high latitudes and the convection of the western Pacific warm pool play important roles in influencing the strength and position of the WPSH in August. In August 1981, the spatial pattern of 500 hPa geopotential height was characterized by a meridional circulation with a strong ridge in the Ural Mountains and a deep trough in Siberia, which provided favorable conditions for cold air invading into the lower latitudes. Accordingly, the geopotential height to the north of the WPSH was reduced by the cold advection anomaly from high latitudes, resulting in an eastward retreat of the WPSH. Moreover, an anomalous cyclonic circulation in the subtropical western Pacific, excited by enhanced warm pool convection, also contributed to the eastward retreat of the WPSH. By contrast, the influence from high latitudes was relatively weak in August 2013 due to a zonal circulation pattern over Eurasia, and the anomalous anticyclonic circulation induced by suppressed warm pool convection also facilitated the westward extension of the WPSH. Therefore, the combined effects of the high latitude and tropical circulations may contribute a persistent anomaly of the WPSH in late summer, despite the tropical SST anomaly being weak.     

江苏一次锢囚状MCS和相关中涡旋MCV的观测分析

利用常规地面和高空气象观测资料,结合气象卫星云图和雷达回波,分析了2009年6月14日15—23时(北京时,下同),造成江苏强对流天气的一个中尺度对流系统(MCS)的锢囚状特征的形成过程及其垂直结构。地面中尺度分析表明,雷暴高压东侧在飑前倒槽北端发展的闭合低压环流的东南气流将暖湿空气输送到冷性雷暴高压的北侧形成东南一西北向的暖舌,从而形成锢囚状的结构。长三角探空网资料的垂直结构分析表明,在对流层下部地面到850 hPa为冷性的雷暴高压,在对流层中部700 hPa为冷性的α中尺度涡旋(MCV),而500 hPa已转变为暖性的MCV。静力学关系可以说明MCV仅仅存在于700~500 hPa的原因和MCS下冷上暖的热力结构密切相关。     

浙江盛夏一次强对流天气的特征及其成因分析

利用常规气象观测资料、区域自动站加密观测资料、GFS 0.5°×0.5°逐6 h分析场数据,以及多普勒雷达、风廓线、微波辐射计探测资料,对2014年7月26日浙江盛夏一次强对流天气过程的特征及其成因进行了诊断分析,结果表明:此次过程发生在副热带高压边缘,由于高空槽东移过程中带来了弱冷空气的渗透,并有大量不稳定能量积聚,形成了午后"上干冷、下暖湿"这样有利于强对流发生的不稳定层结条件和环境背景场。当低层925 hPa的中尺度辐合线和对流层中层700 hPa的垂直上升运动区相重合时,中尺度辐合线附近在未来6 h内产生了强对流,这对强对流的发生发展具有一定的预报指示意义。宁波中尺度辐合线是由偏南风和东北风辐合而成,同时受沿海和喇叭口地形影响,该辐合线早已存在,之后触发了宁波地区的强对流天气。杭州中尺度辐合线是由于宁波雷暴的地面出流增强了偏东风气流,从而加强了偏东风与环境东北风的辐合,导致了杭州中尺度辐合线的形成,随后在辐合线附近出现了剧烈的对流天气。     

Controls on the formation of stratabound dolostone bodies,Hammam Faraun Fault block,Gulf of Suez

Dolomitization is commonly associated with crustal‐scale faults, but tectonic rejuvenation, diagenetic overprinting and a fluid and Mg mass‐imbalance often makes it difficult to determine the dolomitization mechanism. This study considers differential dolomitization of the Eocene Thebes Formation on the Hammam Faraun Fault block, Gulf of Suez, which has undergone a simple history of burial and exhumation as a result of rifting. Stratabound dolostone bodies occur selectively within remobilized sediments (debrites and turbidites) in the lower Thebes Formation and extend into the footwall of, and for up to 2 km away from, the Hammam Faraun Fault. They are offset by the north–south trending Gebel fault, which was active during the earliest phases of rifting, suggesting that dolomitization occurred between rift initiation (26 Ma) and rift climax (15 Ma). Geochemical data suggest that dolomitization occurred from evaporated (ca 1·43 concentration) seawater at less than ca 80°C. Geothermal convection is interpreted to have occurred as seawater was drawn down surface‐breaching faults into the Nubian sandstone aquifer, convected and discharged into the lower Thebes Formation via the Hammam Faraun Fault. Assuming a ca 10 Myr window for dolomitization, a horizontal velocity of ca 0·7 m year⁻¹ into the Thebes Formation is calculated, with fluid flux and reactivity likely to have been facilitated by fracturing. Although fluids were at least marginally hydrothermal, stratabound dolostone bodies do not contain saddle dolomite and there is no evidence of hydrobrecciation. This highlights how misleading dolostone textures can be as a proxy for the genesis and spatial distribution of such bodies in the subsurface. Overall, this study provides an excellent example of how fluid flux may occur during the earliest phases of rifting, and the importance of crustal‐scale faults on fluid flow from the onset of their growth. Furthermore, this article presents a mechanism for dolomitization from seawater that has none of the inherent mass balance problems of classical, conceptual models of hydrothermal dolomitization.     

Validation for a tropical belt version of WRF: sensitivity tests on radiation and cumulus convection parameterizations

对基本气候态和降水日变化的分析是检验模式模拟性能、理解模式误差来源的重要手段。为了评估出对热带气候模拟效果较好的物理参数化方案组合,本文应用WRF带状区域模式,主要比较了四种积云对流参数化方案:NewTiedtke、Kain-Fritsch、newSAS、Tiedtke,和两种辐射参数化方案:RRTMG和CAM,对热带带状区域的气候模拟结果。研究表明:使用NewTiedtke积云对流参数化方案和RRTMG辐射方案的试验,表现出对气温、降水及降水日变化等综合性最好的模拟性能;NewTiedtke积云对流参数化方案能模拟出较好的降水空间分布和降水日变化位相分布特征;与RRTMG辐射方案相比,CAM辐射方案会使温度模拟偏低,特别是陆地上更明显,这种陆地上的冷偏差可能主要来源于Tmin的模拟偏冷。     

青海高原致灾性对流天气时空分布特征

利用2005-2016年青海高原地面观测、灾情和卫星云图等资料,对青海高原致灾性对流天气进行筛选和分类,在此基础上分析了各类致灾性对流天气的时空分布特征及与地形的关系。结果表明:(1)青海高原致灾性对流主要有雷暴、短时强降水、冰雹以及混合类四种,集中分布于高原东部。(2)地形对致灾性对流的落区、频次和强度起关键作用。雷暴多产生于山区,短时强降水和冰雹主要产生在迎风坡、河谷和地势较开阔的低地。其中,青东农区以混合类和冰雹居多,青南牧区以混合类居多,环湖与祁连地区和柴达木盆地以短时强降水居多。(3)近12 a青海高原致灾性对流整体呈波动式减少,2005-2010年(前期)致灾性对流日数和次数较多,2011-2016年(后期)显著减少,但不同类型年际变化特征略有差异。其中,冰雹和雷暴日数前期较大,后期显著减少;混合类和短时强降水日数无明显变化趋势,但前者年际波动幅度较后者大。(4)致灾性对流主要产生于5-9月,各类型均呈现典型的单峰型月分布,混合类和冰雹日数及次数的峰值均在8月,雷暴日数和次数的峰值均在6月,而短时强降水日数和次数的峰值分别在8月、7月。(5)致灾性对流集中产生于13:00至次日01:00,高峰时段(16:00-20:00)以冰雹和混合类居多,而夜间时段以短时强降水居多。     

江淮梅雨期极端对流微物理特征的双偏振雷达观测研究

为研究梅雨期极端对流系统的微物理特征,利用2013—2014年江淮梅雨期间南京溧水S波段双偏振雷达探测资料和地面自动站小时降水资料,统计分析了两类极端对流降水系统的微物理特征及差异。这两类极端对流系统的定义基于地面降水强度和雷达回波顶高,分别为所有对流中降水强度最强的1%（R类:小时降水强度>46.2 mm/h）和对流发展高度最高的1%（H类:20 dBz回波顶高>14.5 km）。结果显示这两类极端对流系统仅有30%的样本重合,显示了二者之间的弱相关性。对于相同的反射率因子Z_H,R类极端对流系统的近地面差分反射率因子Z_DR通常较H类极端对流小约0.2 dB,表明R类极端对流具有较小的平均粒径。结合双偏振雷达反演的粒子大小和相态分布显示,虽然两类极端对流都表现出海洋性对流降水特征,但R类极端对流较H类极端对流的总体雨滴粒径更小而数浓度更高,导致R类极端对流系统的地面降水更强。与R类极端对流系统相比,H类极端对流系统的上升运动更强,将更多的水汽和过冷水输送到0℃层以上,有利于形成更大的冰相粒子（如霰粒子等）,并通过融化形成大雨滴。以上研究表明,梅雨期降水强度和对流发展深度并没有必然的联系,极端降水主要是中等高度的对流引起。