Earth Summit Mission 2022:Scientific Expedition and Research on Mt.Qomolangma Helps Reveal the Synergy between Westerly Winds and Monsoon and the Resulting Climatic and Environmental Effects

“Earth summit mission 2022”is one of the landmark scientific research activities of the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research(STEP).This scientific expedition firstly used advanced technology and methods to detect vertical meteorological elements and produce forecasts for mountain climbing.The“Earth summit mission 2022”Qomolangma scientific expedition exceeded an altitude of over 8000 meters for the first time and carried out a comprehensive scientific investigation mission on the summit of Mt.Qomolangma.Among the participants,the westerly–monsoon synergy and influence team stationed in the Mt.Qomolangma region had two tasks:1)detecting the vertical structure of the atmosphere for parameters such as wind,temperature,humidity,and pressure with advanced instruments for high-altitude detection at the Mt.Qomolangma base camp;and 2)observing extreme weather processes to ensure that members of the mountaineering team could successfully reach the top.Through this scientific expedition,a better understanding of the vertical structure and weather characteristics of the complex area of Mt.Qomolangma is gained.

Time-lagged Effects of the Spring Atmospheric Heat Source over the Tibetan Plateau on Summer Precipitation in Northeast China during 1961–2020:Role of Soil Moisture

The spring atmospheric heat source(AHS)over the Tibetan Plateau(TP)has been suggested to affect the Asian summer monsoon and summer precipitation over South China.However,its influence on the summer precipitation in Northeast China(NEC)remains unknown.The connection between spring TP AHS and subsequent summer precipitation over NEC from 1961 to 2020 is analyzed in this study.Results illustrate that stronger spring TP AHS can enhance subsequent summer NEC precipitation,and higher soil moisture in the Yellow River Valley-North China region(YRVNC)acts as a bridge.During spring,the strong TP AHS could strengthen the transportation of water vapor to East China and lead to excessive rainfall in the YRVNC.Thus,soil moisture increases,which regulates local thermal conditions by decreasing local surface skin temperature and sensible heat.Owing to the memory of soil moisture,the lower spring sensible heat over the YRVNC can last until mid-summer,decrease the land–sea thermal contrast,and weaken the southerly winds over the East Asia–western Pacific region and convective activities over the South China Sea and tropical western Pacific.This modulates the East Asia–Pacific teleconnection pattern,which leads to a cyclonic anomaly and excessive summer precipitation over NEC.

TP-PROFILE: Monitoring the Thermodynamic Structure of the Troposphere over the Third Pole

Ground-based microwave radiometers(MWRs)operating in the K-and V-bands(20–60 GHz)can help us obtain temperature and humidity profiles in the troposphere.Aside from some soundings from local meteorological observatories,the tropospheric atmosphere over the Tibetan Plateau(TP)has never been continuously observed.As part of the Chinese Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program(STEP),the Tibetan Plateau Atmospheric Profile(TPPROFILE)project aims to construct a comprehensive MWR troposphere observation network to study the synoptic processes and environmental changes on the TP.This initiative has collected three years of data from the MWR network.This paper introduces the data information,the data quality,and data downloading.Some applications of the data obtained from these MWRs were also demonstrated.Our comparisons of MWR against the nearest radiosonde observation demonstrate that the TP-PROFILE MWR system is adequate for monitoring the thermal and moisture variability of the troposphere over the TP.The continuous temperature and moisture profiles derived from the MWR data provide a unique perspective on the evolution of the thermodynamic structure associated with the heating of the TP.The TP-PROFILE project reveals that the low-temporal resolution instruments are prone to large uncertainties in their vapor estimation in the mountain valleys on the TP.

Air Temperature Estimation with MODIS Data over the Northern Tibetan Plateau

Time series of MODIS land surface temperature(Ts) and normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI) products,combined with digital elevation model(DEM) and meteorological data from 2001 to 2012,were used to map the spatial distribution of monthly mean air temperature over the Northern Tibetan Plateau(NTP). A time series analysis and a regression analysis of monthly mean land surface temperature(Ts) and air temperature(Ta) were conducted using ordinary linear regression(OLR) and geographical weighted regression(GWR). The analyses showed that GWR,which considers MODIS Ts,NDVI and elevation as independent variables,yielded much better results [RAdj2> 0.79; root-mean-square error(RMSE) =0.51℃–1.12℃] associated with estimating Tacompared to those from OLR(RAdj2= 0.40-0.78; RMSE = 1.60℃–4.38℃).In addition,some characteristics of the spatial distribution of monthly Taand the difference between the surface and air temperature(Td) are as follows. According to the analysis of the 0℃ and 10℃ isothermals,Tavalues over the NTP at elevations of 4000–5000 m were greater than 10℃ in the summer(from May to October),and Tavalues at an elevation of3200 m dropped below 0℃ in the winter(from November to April). Taexhibited an increasing trend from northwest to southeast. Except in the southeastern area of the NTP,T d values in other areas were all larger than 0℃ in the winter.

The Earth Summit Mission-2022:Successful ozone soundings contribute to source identification in the north Mt.Qomolangma region

As part of“The Earth Summit Mission-2022”during the second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research(STEP)in April and May 2022,we conducted the ozone sounding experiment(an ozonesonde mated to a radiosonde)at Mt.Qomolangma Base Camp(MQBC;86.85°E,28.14°N;5200 m),a location at an extremely high altitude.A total of ten sounding profiles were obtained between April 30 and May 06,2022,of which seven profiles were above35 km in altitude,with a maximum detection altitude up to 39.0 km.This study presents the temporal variation and vertical distributions of atmospheric temperature,humidity,and ozone during the MQBC campaign.The averaged ozone concentration was high(68.3 ppbv)at the surface and then increased smoothly until peaking(~110 ppbv)in the middle troposphere(approximately 10 km),and afterward,the ozone concentration increased rapidly from the upper troposphere to a maximum of~10 ppmv at~30 km.The enhanced ozone concentration in the middle troposphere was associated with the blocking high pressure,and transport from the southern flank of the Himalayas occurred during the campaign period.The average total ozone column was 291.9±21.4 DU for the seven profiles exceeding 35km in altitude.The ozonesonde measurements were also compared with the vertical ozone profiles retrieved from the space-borne ozone products from the Microwave Limb Sounder(MLS)onboard the Aura satellite and the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder(AIRS)onboard the Aqua satellite.

An off-line simulation of land surface processes over the northern Tibetan Plateau

In order to further understand the land surface processes over the northern Tibetan Plateau, this study produced an off-line simulated examination at the Bujiao site on the northern Tibetan Plateau from June 2002 to April 2004, using the Noah Land Surface Model （Noah LSM） and observed data from the CAMP/Tibet experiment. The observed data were neces- sarily corrected and the number of soil layers in the Noah LSM was changed from 4 to 10 to enable this off-line simulation and analysis. The main conclusions are as follows： the Noah LSM performed well on the northern Tibetan Plateau. The simulated net radiation, upward longwave radiation, and upward shortwave radiation demonstrated the same remarkable annual and seasonal variation as the observed data, especially the upward longwave radiation. The simulated soil temperatures were acceptably close to the observed temperatures, especially in the shallow soil layers. The simulated freezing and melting processes were shown to start from the surface soil layer and spread down to the deep soil layers, but they took longer than the observed processes. However, Noah LSM did not adequately simulate the soil moisture. Therefore, additional high-quality, long-term observations of land surface-atmosphere processes over the Tibetan Plateau will be a key factor in proper adiustments of the model parameters in the future.

Improved Parameterization of Snow Albedo in WRF+Noah:Methodology Based on a Severe Snow Event on the Tibetan Plateau

Snowfall and the subsequent evolution of the snowpack have a large effect on the surface energy balance and water cycle of the Tibetan Plateau(TP).The effects of snow cover can be represented by the WRF coupled with a land surface scheme.The widely used Noah scheme is computationally efficient,but its poor representation of albedo needs considerable improvement.In this study,an improved albedo scheme is developed using a satellite-retrieved albedo that takes snow depth and age into account.Numerical experiments were then conducted to simulate a severe snow event in March 2017.The performance of the coupled WRF/Noah model,which implemented the improved albedo scheme,is compared against the model’s performance using the default Noah albedo scheme and against the coupled WRF/CLM that applied CLM albedo scheme.When the improved albedo scheme is implemented,the albedo overestimation in the southeastern TP is reduced,reducing the RMSE of the air temperature by 0.7°C.The improved albedo scheme also attains the highest correlation between the satellite-derived and the model-estimated albedo,which provides for a realistic representation of both the snow water equivalent(SWE)spatial distribution in the heavy snowbelt(SWE>6 mm)and the maximum SWE in the eastern TP.The underestimated albedo in the coupled WRF/CLM leads to underestimating the regional maximum SWE and a consequent failure to estimate SWE in the heavy snowbelt accurately.Our study demonstrates the feasibility of improving the Noah albedo scheme and provides a theoretical reference for researchers aiming to improve albedo schemes further.

Strengthening the three-dimensional comprehensive observation system of multi-layer interaction on the Tibetan Plateau to cope with the warming and wetting trend

Changes in the water cycle on the Tibetan Plateau(TP)have a significant impact on local agricultural production and livelihoods and its downstream regions.Against the background of widely reported warming and wetting,the hydrological cycle has accelerated and the likelihood of extreme weather events and natural disasters occurring(i.e.,snowstorms,floods,landslides,mudslides,and ice avalanches)has also intensified,especially in the highelevation mountainous regions.Thus,an accurate estimation of the intensity and variation of each component of the water cycle is an urgent scientific question for the assessment of plateau environmental changes.Following the transformation and movement of water between the atmosphere,biosphere and hydrosphere,the authors highlight the urgent need to strengthen the three-dimensional comprehensive observation system(including the eddy covariance system;planetary boundary layer tower;profile measurements of temperature,humidity,and wind by microwave radiometers,wind profiler,and radiosonde system;and cloud and precipitation radars)in the TP region and propose a practical implementation plan.The construction of such a three-dimensional observation system is expected to promote the study of environmental changes and natural hazards prevention.

Determination of Land Surface Heat Fluxes at Different Temporal Scales over the Tibetan Plateau

Surface energy budget components(such as net radiation flux,sensible heat flux,latent heat flux and soil heat flux)at multiple temporal scales have significant meaning for understanding the energy and water cycle over the Tibetan Plateau(TP).In the framework of ESA-MOST Dragon Programme 4,the surface energy balance system(SEBS)was tested and used to derive surface heat fluxes at different temporal scales over the TP by a combination use of geostationary satellite(FY-2 C)data,polar orbiting satellite(SPOT/VGT,Terra/MODIS)data and ITPCAS forcing data.The validation results show there is a good agreement between derived heat fluxes and in situ measurements from Third Pole Environment Observation and Research Platform(TPEORP),which means the feasibility to derive surface heat fluxes over heterogeneous landscapes by a combination use of geostationary and polar orbiting satellite data in SEBS.The diurnal,seasonal and inter-annual variation characteristics were also clearly identified through analyses of derived turbulent fluxes.

Comparison of Different Generation Mechanisms of Free Convection between Two Stations on the Tibetan Plateau

Based on high-quality data from eddy covariance measurements at the Qomolangma Monitoring and Research Station for Atmosphere and Environment（QOMS） and the Southeast Tibet Monitoring and Research Station for Environment（SETS）,near-ground free convection conditions（FCCs） and their characteristics are investigated. At QOMS, strong thermal effects accompanied by lower wind speeds can easily trigger the occurrence of FCCs. The change of circulation from prevailing katabatic glacier winds to prevailing upslope winds and the oscillation of upslope winds due to cloud cover are the two main causes of decreases in wind speed at QOMS. The analysis of results from SETS shows that the most important trigger mechanism of FCCs is strong solar heating. Turbulence structural analysis using wavelet transform indicates that lowerfrequency turbulence near the ground emerges from the detected FCCs both at QOMS and at SETS. It should be noted that the heterogeneous underlying surface at SETS creates large-scale turbulence during periods without the occurrence of FCCs. Regarding datasets of all seasons, the distribution of FCCs presents different characteristics during monsoonal and non-monsoonal periods.

Variations of Surface Heat Fluxes over the Tibetan Plateau before and after the Onset of the South Asian Summer Monsoon during 1979–2016

As the "Third Pole of the World," the Tibetan Plateau (TP) is an important thermal forcing to the South Asian summer monsoon (ASM) and even the global atmospheric circulation. In this paper, surface heat fluxes from the ERA-Interim reanalysis data during March-October of 1979-2016 in the TP and its surrounding areas are examined and analyzed. The results are as follows.(1) From March to May (before the ASM onset), the main body of the TP is dominated by sensible heat flux, which increases rapidly with high (low) values in the west (east), while the change of latent heat flux is small but it increases with time.(2) From June to August (after the ASM onset), sensible heat flux over the TP decreases, while latent heat flux increases rapidly with high (low) values in the east (west).(3) From September to October (after the ASM withdrawal), sensible and latent heat fluxes are comparable to each other in strength, again with high (low) sensible heat flux in the west (east).(4) During 1979-2016, surface sensible heat flux in the whole TP shows a slightly downward trend, while latent heat flux shows an increasing trend. Specifically, in the western TP, sensible (latent) heat flux shows a weak decreasing (an increasing) trend;while in the eastern TP, sensible (latent) heat flux decreases (increases obviously). These variations are consistent with the observed warming and moistening in the TP region. The above results are useful for further analysis of the change of atmospheric heat sources and surface heat fluxes over the TP based on the data from the Third Tibetan Plateau Atmospheric Science Experiment (TIPEX-Ⅲ).