Some Characteristics of Cumulus Convection over the Tibetan Plateau

Duan Tingyang; Elmar R. Reiter

doi:10.1007/BF02919171

Impact Factor: 5.8

Volume 7 Issue 1

Jan. 1990

Article Contents

Article > ADVANCES IN ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES > 1990 > 7(1): 87-97

Some Characteristics of Cumulus Convection over the Tibetan Plateau

1.
Chengdu Institute of Meteorology, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province,Center for Cybernetic Communication Research, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO. 80523 U. S. A.

doi: 10.1007/BF02919171

Abstract
References
Related papers
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Abstract:
The diagnostic model of the cumulus convection proposed by Yanai et al. (1973) was applied to the atmosphere over the Tibetan Plateau, and used to estimate the vertical mass flux, entrainment and detrainment, excess temperature and moisture, liquid water content, and condensation and precipitation rates of highland cloud clusters. The re-sults illustrated that in clouds over the Tibetan Plateau, the water vapor condensation rate, liquid water content, and efficiency of the rain generation process are less than those in the tropics (represented by the Marshall Islands region). Therefore, the condensational latent heat released over the Tibetan Plateau, overall, is much smaller than that in the tropics. The water vapor and liquid water detrainment from shallow nonprecipitating cumulus clouds, and their entrainment into deep cumulus clouds, serve as a growing mechanism for the deep precipitating cumulus towers over the Tibetan Plateau. It should be noted that there is a stronger detrainment of liquid water from cumulus clouds and a stronger re-evaporation rate in environment. The process of the condensation-detrainment-re-evaporation-entrainment is repeatedly in progress. It would play an important role in maintaining of cumulus convection on the condition that the supply of moisture is not plentiful over the Tibetan Plateau.The analyses also showed that the cloud mass flux Mc over the Tibetan Plateau is less, and the large-scale av-erage upward motion is much less than those over the Marshall Islands. Stronger compensating downward motion in the cloud environment over the Tibetan Plateau, responsible for the area’s strong environmental heating rate was re-vealed, and would link to the stability of the South Asian High in summer.
References

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[2]	LI Wei, CHEN Longxun, 2003: Characteristics of the Seasonal Variation of the Surface Total Heating over the Tibetan Plateau and Its Surrounding Area in Summer 1998 and Its Relationship with the Convection over the Subtropical Area of the Western Pacific, ADVANCES IN ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES, 20, 343-348. doi: 10.1007/BF02690792
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[4]	LI Maoshan, MA Yaoming, MA Weiqiang, HU Zeyong, ISHIKAWA Hirohiko, Zhongbo SU, SUN Fanglin, 2006: Analysis of Turbulence Characteristics over the Northern Tibetan Plateau Area, ADVANCES IN ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES, 23, 579-585. doi: 10.1007/s00376-006-0579-z
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Manuscript History

Manuscript received: 10 January 1990

Manuscript revised: 10 January 1990

通讯作者: 陈斌, bchen63@163.com

1.
沈阳化工大学材料科学与工程学院沈阳 110142

Some Characteristics of Cumulus Convection over the Tibetan Plateau

1. Chengdu Institute of Meteorology, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province,Center for Cybernetic Communication Research, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO. 80523 U. S. A.

Manuscript received: 1990-01-10
Manuscript revised: 1990-01-10

Abstract: The diagnostic model of the cumulus convection proposed by Yanai et al. (1973) was applied to the atmosphere over the Tibetan Plateau, and used to estimate the vertical mass flux, entrainment and detrainment, excess temperature and moisture, liquid water content, and condensation and precipitation rates of highland cloud clusters. The re-sults illustrated that in clouds over the Tibetan Plateau, the water vapor condensation rate, liquid water content, and efficiency of the rain generation process are less than those in the tropics (represented by the Marshall Islands region). Therefore, the condensational latent heat released over the Tibetan Plateau, overall, is much smaller than that in the tropics. The water vapor and liquid water detrainment from shallow nonprecipitating cumulus clouds, and their entrainment into deep cumulus clouds, serve as a growing mechanism for the deep precipitating cumulus towers over the Tibetan Plateau. It should be noted that there is a stronger detrainment of liquid water from cumulus clouds and a stronger re-evaporation rate in environment. The process of the condensation-detrainment-re-evaporation-entrainment is repeatedly in progress. It would play an important role in maintaining of cumulus convection on the condition that the supply of moisture is not plentiful over the Tibetan Plateau.The analyses also showed that the cloud mass flux Mc over the Tibetan Plateau is less, and the large-scale av-erage upward motion is much less than those over the Marshall Islands. Stronger compensating downward motion in the cloud environment over the Tibetan Plateau, responsible for the area’s strong environmental heating rate was re-vealed, and would link to the stability of the South Asian High in summer.