Skip to main content
Article
Association of Diurnal Rainfall in Northeastern Tibetan Plateau with the Retreat of the South Asian High
Atmosphere
  • Lin Zhao, Utah State University
  • Shih-Yu Simon Wang, Utah State University
  • Chi-Hua Wu, Research Center for Environmental Changes
  • Sebastian Los, University of New Mexico
  • Shihua Lyu, Chengdu University of Information Technology
  • Xianhong Meng, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources
  • Lijuan Wen, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources
  • Siqiong Luo, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources
  • Yinhuan Ao, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources
  • Zhaoguo Li, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources
Document Type
Article
Publisher
M D P I AG
Publication Date
1-15-2020
Disciplines
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
Abstract

The characteristics of intense diurnal precipitation occurring beneath the South Asian High (SAH) are diagnosed in the summer monsoon season from 2010 to 2015 using observational data. The diagnostics indicate that summer nighttime rainfall events in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau can intensify towards the end of the monsoon period. By defining a transition index to identify the transition day during which the episodes of diurnal convection start to decline, daily thermodynamic properties and precipitation from each year were composited before and after the transition date. The analysis reveals that warmer air, increased moisture, and stronger upward velocity are present in the atmosphere before the transition day, potentially elevating nighttime convective precipitation. Enhanced upward velocity that is present through the two months prior to transition date coincides with the timing of the peak SAH, while weakened upward velocity afterwards coincides with its subsequent retreat. The large-scale lift due to terrain-ambient air interaction underneath the SAH and the increased moisture content can enhance the potential for diurnal convection, which lends support to the nighttime peak of rainfall. This feature persists until the transition date, after which the SAH starts to retreat.

Citation Information
Zhao, L.; Wang, S.-Y.S.; Wu, C.-H.; Los, S.; Lyu, S.; Meng, X.; Wen, L.; Luo, S.; Ao, Y.; Li, Z. Association of Diurnal Rainfall in Northeastern Tibetan Plateau with the Retreat of the South Asian High. Atmosphere 2020, 11, 105. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11010105