TY - JOUR
T1 - The relationship between statistics of warm-season cloud episodes and synoptic weather regimes over the East Asian continent
AU - Wang, Chung Chieh
AU - Chen, George Tai Jen
AU - Carbone, Richard E.
N1 - Funding Information:
Stimulating discussions with Drs. Stan Trier, John Tuttle, and Mitch Moncrieff during the first and second authors’ visit to MMM/NCAR, as well as the comments from the reviewers are greatly appreciated. The current study is supported by the National Science Council of Taiwan, under grants NSC-99-2111-M-003-004-MY3, NSC-99-2111-M-002-001, and NSC-99-2625-M-003-003.
PY - 2011/5
Y1 - 2011/5
N2 - In this study, the relationship between statistical properties (including zonal span, duration, and propagation speed) of warm-season cloud episodes in Hovmöller space and synoptic conditions over the East Asian continent is investigated for the period of May-July 1997-2002. Synoptic conditions are classified into four regimes: those with baroclinity only at lower level (L), only at upper level (U), at both lower and upper levels (B), or at neither level (N), and cloud streaks(i.e.,episodes as identified through an automated procedure) in each regime are stratified based on their zonal span (length in the East-West direction). It is found that there exists a tendency for episodes in regime B to be larger than episodes in regime N. For larger and less frequent episodes with a zonal span more than about 1,400 km, low-level conditions appear to have slightly higher importance than upper-level conditions, as streaks in regime L tend to be larger than those in regime U.Overall, the results point to the possibility that both upper-level steering and low-level features are important for major episodes that propagate at the leeside of the Tibetan Plateau for long distances across the East Asian continent. A better understanding of the episode behavior in the area is important for future application to improve the quantitative precipitation forecasts in warm season.
AB - In this study, the relationship between statistical properties (including zonal span, duration, and propagation speed) of warm-season cloud episodes in Hovmöller space and synoptic conditions over the East Asian continent is investigated for the period of May-July 1997-2002. Synoptic conditions are classified into four regimes: those with baroclinity only at lower level (L), only at upper level (U), at both lower and upper levels (B), or at neither level (N), and cloud streaks(i.e.,episodes as identified through an automated procedure) in each regime are stratified based on their zonal span (length in the East-West direction). It is found that there exists a tendency for episodes in regime B to be larger than episodes in regime N. For larger and less frequent episodes with a zonal span more than about 1,400 km, low-level conditions appear to have slightly higher importance than upper-level conditions, as streaks in regime L tend to be larger than those in regime U.Overall, the results point to the possibility that both upper-level steering and low-level features are important for major episodes that propagate at the leeside of the Tibetan Plateau for long distances across the East Asian continent. A better understanding of the episode behavior in the area is important for future application to improve the quantitative precipitation forecasts in warm season.
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U2 - 10.1007/s00703-011-0123-2
DO - 10.1007/s00703-011-0123-2
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:79955919929
SN - 0177-7971
VL - 112
SP - 117
EP - 124
JO - Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics
JF - Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics
IS - 3-4
ER -