Precipitation efficiency of cloud and its influencing factors over the Tibetan plateau

Zhao, Pengguo; Xiao, Hui; Liu, Jia; Zhou, Yunjun

doi:10.1002/joc.7251

Cited by 30 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 95 publications

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“…shown that various environmental factors, such as convective available potential energy (CAPE), vertical wind shear, cloud-base height (CBH), and zero-layer height, have significant effects on the presence of +CG lightning [29,30]. To discuss the association between the positive ground flash ratio and environmental factors over the QTP, 10 environmental factors between May and October, when lightning is frequent, were selected to discuss the correlation between +CG lightning flashes and environmental factors.…”

Section: Environmental Factor Data Previous Studies Havementioning

confidence: 99%

The Characteristics of Thunderstorms and Their Lightning Activity on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Hui

Zhou

Yan

2022

Advances in Meteorology

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This paper discusses the temporal and spatial distribution characteristics of cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning activity over the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) from 2009 to 2018 and their dependence on meteorological factors. It is found that (1) the number of CG flashes fluctuates, reaches a maximum in 2014, and then gradually decreases. The main active period of CG lightning is from June to September each year, after which it decreases rapidly. CG lightning is mainly distributed in the valley areas at around 4800 m above sea level at Lhasa, Nagqu, and Chamdo, and there are differences in the characteristics of CG activity in these three areas. The peak of daily CG lightning occurs at 1000 UTC, and the lowest value is at 0400 UTC. The distribution of CG lightning in all seasons has obvious differences in peak time and the proportion of positive CG (+CG) lightning, with the ratio of +CG lightning to total CG lightning flashes in spring and autumn exceeding 50%. (2) The ratio of +CG lightning to total CG lightning flashes over the QTP is influenced by a combination of thermodynamic and microphysical factors. Over the QTP, greater vertical wind shear leads to the movement of upper positive charges and promotes the occurrence of +CG lightning. Also, the higher total column liquid water content implies higher cloud water content in the warm-cloud region, and the higher cloud-base height implies a thicker warm-cloud region, which is not conducive to the occurrence of +CG lightning. (3) During high-value years (in this study, 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016), the midlatitude (30°N–60°N) high pressure is strong and the plateau is situated at the intersection of the East Asian and South Asian monsoons and the cold air from the northwest, which strengthens the water vapor convergence and increases the frequency of thunderstorms. When the plateau is under the control of the southerly monsoon from June to September every year, its atmosphere is full of water vapor and lightning activity is accordingly high, with the proportion of +CG lightning being about 10%. Meanwhile, in the remaining months, when controlled by the westerly wind belt, the plateau’s water vapor condition is poor, the level of lightning activity weakens, and the proportion of +CG lightning gradually increases to more than 50%.

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Section: Environmental Factor Data Previous Studies Havementioning

confidence: 99%

The Characteristics of Thunderstorms and Their Lightning Activity on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Hui

Zhou

Yan

2022

Advances in Meteorology

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“…It is an element with the largest coverage in the cryosphere, which has an important impact on the radiation budget and water cycle in the climate system (Dou et al, 2020). Previous studies have indicated that the atmospheric ice dominated the distribution and lifetime of ice clouds and mixedphase clouds over the TP (Long, 2016;Li et al, 2018;Zhao et al, 2021), thus profoundly affecting the surface radiation budget. Therefore, it is of great significance to investigate the spatial-temporal variability of the atmospheric ice over the TP.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The total mass and spatial–temporal variability of aerial cryosphere over the Tibetan Plateau from 2003 to 2020

Yang

Dou

et al. 2023

Front. Earth Sci.

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Changes in snow, ice, and ecological system over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) are extremely sensitive to local precipitation and radiation budget, which are largely modulated by the atmospheric ice. However, how much ice is there in the atmosphere over the TP and how it is distributed are still unclear. The total mass, spatial distributions, and long-term trends of atmospheric ice over the TP were evaluated by using four sets of satellite retrieval data (Aqua, Terra, the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP), and NOAA-20) and ERA5 reanalysis data from 2003 to 2020. Based on the estimations using multiple satellite datasets, we concluded that the total mass of atmospheric ice could be up to 0.26±0.03 Gt over the TP from 2013 to 2020. The spatial distributions of atmospheric ice derived from various datasets were highly consistent. In general, the southwest and northeast areas of the TP were the low-concentration areas (0.05 kg/m2 in average), while the southeast area was the high-concentration area (0.09 kg/m2 in average), and this spatial pattern was most evident in summer. The high values around (0.15 kg/m2) were centered over Linzhi and its surrounding areas. The plentiful water vapor transported by southwest summer monsoon and steep topography jointly led to rapid growth of atmospheric ice in Southeast Tibet, which was the dominant reason for the higher ice concentration in this area.

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“…The west of Sichuan is the West Sichuan Plateau, and the east is the Sichuan Basin. On the one hand, the special terrain and thermal dynamic conditions lead to the obvious spatial difference in lightning activity in this region (Xia et al, 2015;Zhao et al, 2022b). On the other hand, the topographic conditions unfavorable to the diffusion of atmospheric pollutants and the prominent anthropogenic emissions result in the aerosol concentration in the basin area being significantly higher than that in the plateau area (Ning et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Potential Relationship Between Aerosols and Positive Cloud-to-Ground Lightning During the Warm Season in Sichuan, Southwest China

Zhao

Zhang²,

Liu³

et al. 2022

Front. Environ. Sci.

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This study discussed the influence of aerosols on the relative frequency of positive cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning and its dependence on thermodynamic and cloud-related factors in Sichuan during the warm season from 2005 to 2017. The relative frequency of positive CG lightning is defined as the proportion of positive CG lightning flashes to total CG lightning flashes. Although the total CG lightning density in the Western Sichuan Plateau is significantly lower than that in the Sichuan Basin, the relative frequency of positive CG lightning is higher than that in the basin. Convective available potential energy (CAPE) and vertical wind shear in the low-to-mid level of the troposphere (SHEAR-5 km) are the controlling factors of positive CG lightning frequency. A small CAPE and a large SHEAR-5 km represent weak convection, which is more conducive to the generation of positive CG lightning. The upper main positive charge region in a thriving thunderstorm is higher from the ground, which is not conducive to the transport of positive charge to the ground, so it is not conducive to the generation of positive CG lightning. In the basin, the relationship between aerosols and positive lightning is not significant, which may be due to the strong total CG lightning and the low proportion of positive CG lightning. In the plateau, both sulfate aerosol and black carbon (BC) aerosol have a significant inhibition effect on the positive CG lightning relative frequency. Sulfate aerosol stimulates the ice-phase process through a microphysical effect and promotes the development of convection. The distribution of the main positive charge center is higher, which is not conducive to the transport of positive charge to the ground and the generation of positive CG lightning. The significant heating effect of BC aerosol on the lower troposphere makes the convective development more vigorous and is not conducive to the occurrence of positive CG lightning.

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Precipitation efficiency of cloud and its influencing factors over the Tibetan plateau

Cited by 30 publications

References 95 publications

The Characteristics of Thunderstorms and Their Lightning Activity on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

The Characteristics of Thunderstorms and Their Lightning Activity on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

The total mass and spatial–temporal variability of aerial cryosphere over the Tibetan Plateau from 2003 to 2020

Potential Relationship Between Aerosols and Positive Cloud-to-Ground Lightning During the Warm Season in Sichuan, Southwest China

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