A long-lived, quasi-stationary mesoscale convective system （MCS） producing extreme ramtall （maximum of 542 mm） over the eastern coastal area of Guangdong Province on 20 May 2015 is analyzed by using high-resolutio...A long-lived, quasi-stationary mesoscale convective system （MCS） producing extreme ramtall （maximum of 542 mm） over the eastern coastal area of Guangdong Province on 20 May 2015 is analyzed by using high-resolution surface observations, sounding data, and radar measurements. New convective ceils are continuously initiated along a mesoscale boundary at the surface, leading to formation and maintenance of the quasi-linear-shaped MCS from about 2000 BT 19 to 1200 BT 20 May. The boundary is originally formed between a cold dome generated by previous convection and southwesterly flow from the ocean carrying higher equivalent potential temperature （θe） air. The boundary is subsequently maintained and reinforced by the contrast between the MCS-generated cold outflow and the oceanic higher-θe air. The cold outflow is weak （wind speed ≤ 5 m s-1）, which is attributable to the characteristic environmental conditions, i.e., high humidity in the lower troposphere and weak horizontal winds in the middle and lower troposphere. The low speed of the cold outflow is comparable to that of the near surface southerly flow from the ocean, resulting in very slow southward movement of the boundary. The boundary features temperature contrasts of 2-3℃ and is roughly 500-m deep. Despite its shallowness, the boundary appears to exert a profound influence on continuous convection initiation because of the very low level of free convection and small convection inhibition of the near surface oceanic air, building several parallel rainbands （of about 50-kin length） that move slowly eastward along the MCS and produce about 80% of the total rainfall. Another MCS moves into the area from the northwest and merges with the local MCS at about 1200 BT. The cold outflow subsequently strengthens and the boundary moves more rapidly toward the southeast, leading to end of the event in 3 h.展开更多
Short-duration heavy rainfall（SDHR） is a type of severe convective weather that often leads to substantial losses of property and life. We derive the spatiotemporal distribution and diurnal variation of SDHR over Ch...Short-duration heavy rainfall（SDHR） is a type of severe convective weather that often leads to substantial losses of property and life. We derive the spatiotemporal distribution and diurnal variation of SDHR over China during the warm season（April–September） from quality-controlled hourly raingauge data taken at 876 stations for 19 yr（1991–2009）, in comparison with the diurnal features of the mesoscale convective systems（MCSs） derived from satellite data. The results are as follows. 1） Spatial distributions of the frequency of SDHR events with hourly rainfall greater than 10–40 mm are very similar to the distribution of heavy rainfall（daily rainfall 50 mm） over China's Mainland. 2） SDHR occurs most frequently in South China such as southern Yunnan, Guizhou, and Jiangxi provinces, the Sichuan basin, and the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, among others. Some SDHR events with hourly rainfall 50 mm also occur in northern China, e.g., the western Xinjiang and central-eastern Inner Mongolia. The heaviest hourly rainfall is observed over the Hainan Island with the amount reaching over 180 mm. 3） The frequency of the SDHR events is the highest in July, followed by August. Analysis of pentad variations in SDHR reveals that SDHR events are intermittent, with the fourth pentad of July the most active. The frequency of SDHR over China's Mainland increases slowly with the advent of the East Asian summer monsoon, but decreases rapidly with its withdrawal. 4） The diurnal peak of the SDHR activity occurs in the later afternoon（1600–1700 Beijing Time（BT））, and the secondary peak occurs after midnight（0100–0200 BT） and in the early morning（0700–0800 BT）; whereas the diurnal minimum occurs around late morning till noon（1000–1300 BT）. 5） The diurnal variation of SDHR exhibits generally consistent features with that of the MCSs in China, but the active periods and propagation of SDHR and MCSs difer in diferent regions. The number and duration of local maxima in the d展开更多
The strong heavy rainfall on 3–5 July 2003 causing the severe flooding in Huaihe River basin （HRB）, China is studied. It is noted that there are sometimes mesoscale convective vortex （MCV） in East Asia during the...The strong heavy rainfall on 3–5 July 2003 causing the severe flooding in Huaihe River basin （HRB）, China is studied. It is noted that there are sometimes mesoscale convective vortex （MCV） in East Asia during the mei-yu season. Simulation results from the ARPS （Advanced Regional Prediction） data analysis system （ADAS） and WRF model were used to study the development of the mesoscale convective system （MCS） and mesoscale convective vortex （MCV）. It is confirmed that the MCV formed during the development of a previous severe MCS. A closed vortex circulation can be found below 600 hPa with a vorticity maximum in the middle troposphere. The evolution process of the MCV can be divided into three stages： initiation, maturation, and dissipation. During the mature stage of the MCV, a downdraft occurred in the center of the MCV and new convection developed in southeast of the MCV. The convergence and the tilting in the lower troposphere convergence and vertical advection in the middle troposphere were the main vorticity sources in the MCV initiation stage. Finally, a conceptual model between the mei-yu front and the embedded MCS and MCV is proposed. The mei-yu front was the background condition for the development of the MCS and MCV. A low level jet （LLJ） transported moisture and the weak cold air invasion via a trough aloft in the middle troposphere and triggering the severe convection. Furthermore, the intensified jet was able to result in the initiation of new ＂secondary＂ areas of convection in the eastern part of the MCV.展开更多
An intensive field observation experiment using 12 Chinese gliders equipped with conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) sensors and 62 expendable CTD probes (XCTDs) was performed to investigate the 3-D structure and tim...An intensive field observation experiment using 12 Chinese gliders equipped with conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) sensors and 62 expendable CTD probes (XCTDs) was performed to investigate the 3-D structure and time evolution of an anticyclonic eddy in the northern South China Sea (NSCS). The observed results showed that the anticyclonic eddy had a horizontal radius of about 80 km at surface and a vertical depth of impact of more than 1000 m. The largest temperature and salinity anomalies compared with the averaged values of the temperature and salinity profiles were 3.5°C and 0.4 psu at 120 m depth, respectively. Combined analysis of altimeter sea level and water mass properties indicated that the anticyclonic eddy was shed from the Kuroshio loop current. The vertical axis of the anticyclonic eddy tilted from surface to the observed maximum depth (1000 m) along its translation direction against the 2000 m isobath. The center of the anticyclonic eddy remained in the region east of Dongsha Island for more than half a month. During this time, the long axis direction of the eddy changed from across the slope to along the slope. Then, the eddy moved southward along the 2000 m isobaths. Both the geostrophic current and temperature distribution revealed that the eddy intensity weakened during the observation period gradually. These observations indicated strong interaction between the anticyclonic eddy and the slope topography of Dongsha Island.展开更多
基金Supported by the China Meteorological Administration Special Public Welfare Research Fund(GYHY201406013 and GYHY201406003)National Natural Science Foundation of China(91437104)National(Key)Basic Research and Development(973)Program of China(2012CB417202)
文摘A long-lived, quasi-stationary mesoscale convective system （MCS） producing extreme ramtall （maximum of 542 mm） over the eastern coastal area of Guangdong Province on 20 May 2015 is analyzed by using high-resolution surface observations, sounding data, and radar measurements. New convective ceils are continuously initiated along a mesoscale boundary at the surface, leading to formation and maintenance of the quasi-linear-shaped MCS from about 2000 BT 19 to 1200 BT 20 May. The boundary is originally formed between a cold dome generated by previous convection and southwesterly flow from the ocean carrying higher equivalent potential temperature （θe） air. The boundary is subsequently maintained and reinforced by the contrast between the MCS-generated cold outflow and the oceanic higher-θe air. The cold outflow is weak （wind speed ≤ 5 m s-1）, which is attributable to the characteristic environmental conditions, i.e., high humidity in the lower troposphere and weak horizontal winds in the middle and lower troposphere. The low speed of the cold outflow is comparable to that of the near surface southerly flow from the ocean, resulting in very slow southward movement of the boundary. The boundary features temperature contrasts of 2-3℃ and is roughly 500-m deep. Despite its shallowness, the boundary appears to exert a profound influence on continuous convection initiation because of the very low level of free convection and small convection inhibition of the near surface oceanic air, building several parallel rainbands （of about 50-kin length） that move slowly eastward along the MCS and produce about 80% of the total rainfall. Another MCS moves into the area from the northwest and merges with the local MCS at about 1200 BT. The cold outflow subsequently strengthens and the boundary moves more rapidly toward the southeast, leading to end of the event in 3 h.
基金Supported by the China Meteorological Administration Special Public Welfare Research Fund (GYHY201206004,GYHY201206003,and GYHY200906003)National (Key) Basic Research and Development (973) Program of China (2013CB430106)
文摘Short-duration heavy rainfall（SDHR） is a type of severe convective weather that often leads to substantial losses of property and life. We derive the spatiotemporal distribution and diurnal variation of SDHR over China during the warm season（April–September） from quality-controlled hourly raingauge data taken at 876 stations for 19 yr（1991–2009）, in comparison with the diurnal features of the mesoscale convective systems（MCSs） derived from satellite data. The results are as follows. 1） Spatial distributions of the frequency of SDHR events with hourly rainfall greater than 10–40 mm are very similar to the distribution of heavy rainfall（daily rainfall 50 mm） over China's Mainland. 2） SDHR occurs most frequently in South China such as southern Yunnan, Guizhou, and Jiangxi provinces, the Sichuan basin, and the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, among others. Some SDHR events with hourly rainfall 50 mm also occur in northern China, e.g., the western Xinjiang and central-eastern Inner Mongolia. The heaviest hourly rainfall is observed over the Hainan Island with the amount reaching over 180 mm. 3） The frequency of the SDHR events is the highest in July, followed by August. Analysis of pentad variations in SDHR reveals that SDHR events are intermittent, with the fourth pentad of July the most active. The frequency of SDHR over China's Mainland increases slowly with the advent of the East Asian summer monsoon, but decreases rapidly with its withdrawal. 4） The diurnal peak of the SDHR activity occurs in the later afternoon（1600–1700 Beijing Time（BT））, and the secondary peak occurs after midnight（0100–0200 BT） and in the early morning（0700–0800 BT）; whereas the diurnal minimum occurs around late morning till noon（1000–1300 BT）. 5） The diurnal variation of SDHR exhibits generally consistent features with that of the MCSs in China, but the active periods and propagation of SDHR and MCSs difer in diferent regions. The number and duration of local maxima in the d
基金supported by the project of State Key Labo-ratory of Severe Weather, Chinese Academy of Meteoro-logical Sciences (No. 2009LASW-A03) the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grants Nos.40875021 and 40930951
文摘The strong heavy rainfall on 3–5 July 2003 causing the severe flooding in Huaihe River basin （HRB）, China is studied. It is noted that there are sometimes mesoscale convective vortex （MCV） in East Asia during the mei-yu season. Simulation results from the ARPS （Advanced Regional Prediction） data analysis system （ADAS） and WRF model were used to study the development of the mesoscale convective system （MCS） and mesoscale convective vortex （MCV）. It is confirmed that the MCV formed during the development of a previous severe MCS. A closed vortex circulation can be found below 600 hPa with a vorticity maximum in the middle troposphere. The evolution process of the MCV can be divided into three stages： initiation, maturation, and dissipation. During the mature stage of the MCV, a downdraft occurred in the center of the MCV and new convection developed in southeast of the MCV. The convergence and the tilting in the lower troposphere convergence and vertical advection in the middle troposphere were the main vorticity sources in the MCV initiation stage. Finally, a conceptual model between the mei-yu front and the embedded MCS and MCV is proposed. The mei-yu front was the background condition for the development of the MCS and MCV. A low level jet （LLJ） transported moisture and the weak cold air invasion via a trough aloft in the middle troposphere and triggering the severe convection. Furthermore, the intensified jet was able to result in the initiation of new ＂secondary＂ areas of convection in the eastern part of the MCV.
基金supported by the Strategic Priority Research Programs of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant Nos. XDA11010302, XDA11040101)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41521005, 41776036, 41476012, 61233013, 41576012 and 41776026)+1 种基金the Science and Technology Program of Guangdong, China (Grant No. 2016A020224003)the National Key Scientific Instrument and Equipment Development Project (Grant No. 2013YQ16079303)
文摘An intensive field observation experiment using 12 Chinese gliders equipped with conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) sensors and 62 expendable CTD probes (XCTDs) was performed to investigate the 3-D structure and time evolution of an anticyclonic eddy in the northern South China Sea (NSCS). The observed results showed that the anticyclonic eddy had a horizontal radius of about 80 km at surface and a vertical depth of impact of more than 1000 m. The largest temperature and salinity anomalies compared with the averaged values of the temperature and salinity profiles were 3.5°C and 0.4 psu at 120 m depth, respectively. Combined analysis of altimeter sea level and water mass properties indicated that the anticyclonic eddy was shed from the Kuroshio loop current. The vertical axis of the anticyclonic eddy tilted from surface to the observed maximum depth (1000 m) along its translation direction against the 2000 m isobath. The center of the anticyclonic eddy remained in the region east of Dongsha Island for more than half a month. During this time, the long axis direction of the eddy changed from across the slope to along the slope. Then, the eddy moved southward along the 2000 m isobaths. Both the geostrophic current and temperature distribution revealed that the eddy intensity weakened during the observation period gradually. These observations indicated strong interaction between the anticyclonic eddy and the slope topography of Dongsha Island.
