Intercomparison of Cloud Vertical Structures over Four Different Sites of the Eastern Slope of the Tibetan Plateau in Summer Using Ka-Band Millimeter-Wave Radar Measurements
The eastern slope of the Tibetan Plateau is a crucial corridor of water-vapor transport from the Tibetan Plateau to Eastern China. This is also a region with active cloud initiation, and the locally hatched cloud systems have a profound impact on the radiation budget and hydrological cycle over the...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-08-01
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| Series: | Remote Sensing |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/15/3702 |
| _version_ | 1797432725865496576 |
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| author | Xia Wan Jiafeng Zheng Rong Wan Guirong Xu Jianfeng Qin Lan Yi |
| author_facet | Xia Wan Jiafeng Zheng Rong Wan Guirong Xu Jianfeng Qin Lan Yi |
| author_sort | Xia Wan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The eastern slope of the Tibetan Plateau is a crucial corridor of water-vapor transport from the Tibetan Plateau to Eastern China. This is also a region with active cloud initiation, and the locally hatched cloud systems have a profound impact on the radiation budget and hydrological cycle over the downstream Sichuan Basin and the middle reach of the Yangtze River. It is noteworthy that there is a strong diversification in the characteristics and evolution of the ESTP cloud systems due to the complex terrain. Therefore, in this study, ground-based Ka-band millimeter-wave cloud radar measurements collected at the Ganzi (GZ), Litang (LT), Daocheng (DC), and Jiulong (JL) sites of the ESTP in 2019 were analyzed to compare the vertical structures of summer nonprecipitating clouds, including cloud occurrence frequency, radar reflectivity factor, cloud base height, cloud top height, and cloud thickness. The occurrence frequency exhibits two peaks on the ESTP with maximum values of ~20% (2–4 km) and 15% (7–9 km), respectively. The greatest (smallest) occurrence frequency occurs in the JL (GZ). The cloud occurrence frequency of all sites increases rapidly in the afternoon, and the occurrence frequency of the DC presents larger values at 2–4 km. In contrast, the occurrence frequency in the JL shows another increase from 2000 LT to midnight at 7–11 km. Stronger radar echoes occur most frequently in the LT at 5–7 km, and hydrometeor sizes and phase states vary dramatically in mixed-phase clouds. A small number of radar echoes occur at midnight in the JL. A characteristic bimodality of the cloud base height and top height for single-layer, double-layer, and triple-layer clouds was observed. Clouds show a higher base height in the GZ and higher top height in the JL. The ESTP is dominated by thin clouds with thicknesses of 200–400 m. The cloud base height, top height, and thickness exhibit an increase in the afternoon, and higher top height occurs more frequently from midnight to the next early morning in the JL because of its mountain-valley terrain. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:05:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c4740ee878fb4d33b1abadd08154f195 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:05:47Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj.art-c4740ee878fb4d33b1abadd08154f1952023-12-01T23:08:25ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922022-08-011415370210.3390/rs14153702Intercomparison of Cloud Vertical Structures over Four Different Sites of the Eastern Slope of the Tibetan Plateau in Summer Using Ka-Band Millimeter-Wave Radar MeasurementsXia Wan0Jiafeng Zheng1Rong Wan2Guirong Xu3Jianfeng Qin4Lan Yi5Hubei Key Laboratory for Heavy Rain Monitoring and Warning Research, Institute of Heavy Rain, China Meteorological Administration, Wuhan 430205, ChinaSchool of Atmospheric Sciences, Chengdu University of Information Technology, Chengdu 610225, ChinaHubei Key Laboratory for Heavy Rain Monitoring and Warning Research, Institute of Heavy Rain, China Meteorological Administration, Wuhan 430205, ChinaHubei Key Laboratory for Heavy Rain Monitoring and Warning Research, Institute of Heavy Rain, China Meteorological Administration, Wuhan 430205, ChinaWuhan Meteorological Service, Wuhan 430040, ChinaGanzizhou Meteorological Service, Kangding 626000, ChinaThe eastern slope of the Tibetan Plateau is a crucial corridor of water-vapor transport from the Tibetan Plateau to Eastern China. This is also a region with active cloud initiation, and the locally hatched cloud systems have a profound impact on the radiation budget and hydrological cycle over the downstream Sichuan Basin and the middle reach of the Yangtze River. It is noteworthy that there is a strong diversification in the characteristics and evolution of the ESTP cloud systems due to the complex terrain. Therefore, in this study, ground-based Ka-band millimeter-wave cloud radar measurements collected at the Ganzi (GZ), Litang (LT), Daocheng (DC), and Jiulong (JL) sites of the ESTP in 2019 were analyzed to compare the vertical structures of summer nonprecipitating clouds, including cloud occurrence frequency, radar reflectivity factor, cloud base height, cloud top height, and cloud thickness. The occurrence frequency exhibits two peaks on the ESTP with maximum values of ~20% (2–4 km) and 15% (7–9 km), respectively. The greatest (smallest) occurrence frequency occurs in the JL (GZ). The cloud occurrence frequency of all sites increases rapidly in the afternoon, and the occurrence frequency of the DC presents larger values at 2–4 km. In contrast, the occurrence frequency in the JL shows another increase from 2000 LT to midnight at 7–11 km. Stronger radar echoes occur most frequently in the LT at 5–7 km, and hydrometeor sizes and phase states vary dramatically in mixed-phase clouds. A small number of radar echoes occur at midnight in the JL. A characteristic bimodality of the cloud base height and top height for single-layer, double-layer, and triple-layer clouds was observed. Clouds show a higher base height in the GZ and higher top height in the JL. The ESTP is dominated by thin clouds with thicknesses of 200–400 m. The cloud base height, top height, and thickness exhibit an increase in the afternoon, and higher top height occurs more frequently from midnight to the next early morning in the JL because of its mountain-valley terrain.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/15/3702Ka-band millimeter-wave radarcloud occurrence frequencycloud vertical structureeastern slope of Tibetan Plateau |
| spellingShingle | Xia Wan Jiafeng Zheng Rong Wan Guirong Xu Jianfeng Qin Lan Yi Intercomparison of Cloud Vertical Structures over Four Different Sites of the Eastern Slope of the Tibetan Plateau in Summer Using Ka-Band Millimeter-Wave Radar Measurements Remote Sensing Ka-band millimeter-wave radar cloud occurrence frequency cloud vertical structure eastern slope of Tibetan Plateau |
| title | Intercomparison of Cloud Vertical Structures over Four Different Sites of the Eastern Slope of the Tibetan Plateau in Summer Using Ka-Band Millimeter-Wave Radar Measurements |
| title_full | Intercomparison of Cloud Vertical Structures over Four Different Sites of the Eastern Slope of the Tibetan Plateau in Summer Using Ka-Band Millimeter-Wave Radar Measurements |
| title_fullStr | Intercomparison of Cloud Vertical Structures over Four Different Sites of the Eastern Slope of the Tibetan Plateau in Summer Using Ka-Band Millimeter-Wave Radar Measurements |
| title_full_unstemmed | Intercomparison of Cloud Vertical Structures over Four Different Sites of the Eastern Slope of the Tibetan Plateau in Summer Using Ka-Band Millimeter-Wave Radar Measurements |
| title_short | Intercomparison of Cloud Vertical Structures over Four Different Sites of the Eastern Slope of the Tibetan Plateau in Summer Using Ka-Band Millimeter-Wave Radar Measurements |
| title_sort | intercomparison of cloud vertical structures over four different sites of the eastern slope of the tibetan plateau in summer using ka band millimeter wave radar measurements |
| topic | Ka-band millimeter-wave radar cloud occurrence frequency cloud vertical structure eastern slope of Tibetan Plateau |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/15/3702 |
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