On the Influences of Urbanization on the Extreme Rainfall over Zhengzhou on 20 July 2021: A Convection-Permitting Ensemble Modeling Study

This study investigates the influences of urban land cover on the extreme rainfall event over the Zhengzhou city in central China on 20 July 2021 using the Weather Research and Forecasting model at a convection-permitting scale[1-km resolution in the innermost domain(d3)].Two ensembles of simulation(CTRL,NURB),each consisting of 11 members with a multi-layer urban canopy model and various combinations of physics schemes,were conducted using different land cover scenarios:(i)the real urban land cover,(ii)all cities in d3 being replaced with natural land cover.The results suggest that CTRL reasonably reproduces the spatiotemporal evolution of rainstorms and the 24-h rainfall accumulation over the key region,although the maximum hourly rainfall is underestimated and displaced to the west or southwest by most members.The ensemble mean 24-h rainfall accumulation over the key region of heavy rainfall is reduced by 13%,and the maximum hourly rainfall simulated by each member is reduced by 15–70 mm in CTRL relative to NURB.The reduction in the simulated rainfall by urbanization is closely associated with numerous cities/towns to the south,southeast,and east of Zhengzhou.Their heating effects jointly lead to formation of anomalous upward motions in and above the planetary boundary layer(PBL),which exaggerates the PBL drying effect due to reduced evapotranspiration and also enhances the wind stilling effect due to increased surface friction in urban areas.As a result,the lateral inflows of moisture and high-θe(equivalent potential temperature)air from south and east to Zhengzhou are reduced.

On the Diurnal Cycle of Heavy Rainfall over the Sichuan Basin during 10–18 August 2020

A sustained heavy rainfall event occurred over the Sichuan basin in southwest China during 10–18 August 2020,showing pronounced diurnal rainfall variations with nighttime peak and afternoon minimum values,except on the first day.Results show that the westward extension of the anomalously strong western Pacific subtropical high was conducive to the maintenance of a southerly low-level jet(LLJ)in and to the southeast of the basin,which favored continuous water vapor transport and abnormally high precipitable water in the basin.The diurnal cycle of rainfall over the basin was closely related to the periodic oscillation of the LLJ in both wind speed and direction that was caused by the combination of inertial oscillation and terrain thermal forcing.The nocturnally enhanced rainfall was produced by moist convection mostly initiated during the evening hours over the southwest part of the basin where high convective available potential energy with moister near-surface moist air was present.The convective initiation took place as cold air from either previous precipitating clouds from the western Sichuan Plateau or a larger-scale northerly flow met a warm and humid current from the south.It was the slantwise lifting of the warm,moist airflow above the cold air,often facilitated by southwest vortices and quasi-geostrophic ascent,that released the convective instability and produced heavy rainfall.

Energy Paths that Sustain the Warm-Sector Torrential Rainfall over South China and Their Contrasts to the Frontal Rainfall: A Case Study

Predicting warm-sector torrential rainfall over South China,which is famous for its destructive power,is one of the most challenging issues of the current numerical forecast field.Insufficient understanding of the key mechanisms underlying this type of event is the root cause.Since understanding the energetics is crucial to understanding the evolutions of various types of weather systems,a general methodology for investigating energetics of torrential rainfall is provided in this study.By applying this methodology to a persistent torrential rainfall event which had concurrent frontal and warm-sector precipitation,the first physical image on the energetics of the warm-sector torrential rainfall is established.This clarifies the energy sources for producing the warm-sector rainfall during this event.For the first time,fundamental similarities and differences between the warm-sector and frontal torrential rainfall are shown in terms of energetics.It is found that these two types of rainfall mainly differed from each other in the lower-tropospheric dynamical features,and their key differences lay in energy sources.Scale interactions(mainly through downscale energy cascade and transport)were a dominant factor for the warm-sector torrential rainfall during this event,whereas,for the frontal torrential rainfall,they were only of secondary importance.Three typical signals in the background environment are found to have supplied energy to the warm-sector torrential rainfall,with the quasi-biweekly oscillation having contributed the most.

Ground-Based Radar Reflectivity Mosaic of Mei-yu Precipitation Systems over the Yangtze River–Huaihe River Basins

The 3D radar reflectivity produced by a mosaic software system, with measurements from 29 operational weather radars in the Yangtze River–Huaihe River Basins（YRHRB） during the mei-yu season of 2007, is compared to coincident TRMM PR observations in order to evaluate the value of the ground-based radar reflectivity mosaic in characterizing the 3D structures of mei-yu precipitation. Results show reasonable agreement in the composite radar reflectivity between the two datasets,with a correlation coefficient of 0.8 and a mean bias of -1 dB. The radar mosaic data at constant altitudes are reasonably consistent with the TRMM PR observations in the height range of 2–5 km, revealing essentially the same spatial distribution of radar echo and nearly identical histograms of reflectivity. However, at altitudes above 5 km, the mosaic data overestimate reflectivity and have slower decreasing rates with height compared to the TRMM PR observations. The areas of convective and stratiform precipitation, based on the mosaic reflectivity distribution at 3-km altitude, are highly correlated with the corresponding regions in the TRMM products, with correlation coefficients of 0.92 and 0.97 and mean relative differences of -7.9% and -2.5%, respectively. Finally, the usefulness of the mosaic reflectivity at 3-km altitude at 6-min intervals is illustrated using a mesoscale convective system that occurred over the YRHRB.

Characteristics of Pre-summer Daytime Cloud Regimes over Coastal South China from the Himawari-8 Satellite

Using the high spatiotemporal resolution(2 km-and-10 min)data from the Advanced Himawari Imager onboard the Himawari-8 satellite,this study documents the fine-scale characteristics of daytime cloud regimes(CRs)over coastal South China during the pre-summer rainy season(April–June).Six CRs(CR1–CR6)are identified based on the joint frequency distribution of cloud top brightness temperature and cloud optical thickness,namely,the optically thin-to-moderate cloud mixture,optically thin warm clouds with cirrus,optically thick warm clouds,weak convective cloud mixture,strong convective clouds,and extreme,deep convective clouds.The optically thick warm clouds are the major CR during April and May,with higher frequencies over land,especially along the urban agglomeration,rather than the offshore which may be an indicator of the higher aerosol concentrations being a contributing factor over the cities.The CRs with weak convective cloud mixtures and strong convective clouds appear more frequently over the land,while the two CRs with optically thinner clouds occur mainly offshore.Synoptic flow patterns(SPs)are objectively identified and examined focusing on those favoring the two major rainproducing CRs(CR5 and CR6)and the highly reflective CR with optically thick warm clouds(CR3).The two SPs favoring CR5 and CR6 are characterized by abundant moisture with low-level jets after monsoon onset,and a northwest highsoutheast low pattern with strong dynamic convergence along the coastline,respectively.The non-convective CR3 with high reflectance is related to a SP that features the western North Pacific subtropical high extending more westward,leading to a moderate moisture supply and a wide range of convective available potential energy,but also,large convective inhibition.

Living status and support system of children orphaned by AIDS in central China—Description and policy recommendations

This study aimed to research the living status and support system of children orphaned by AIDS in rural Henan Province. The approach of face-to-face questionnaires research was used to assess 501 children’s current situation while in-depth interview was conducted for the support system research. The age range of the children orphaned by AIDS was 2 - 15 years old and the mean age was 11.10 years. Most children among 2 - 6 years had communication skills with temper control and psychological problems. Children of 7 - 15 years old had the ability to take care of themselves and family members but could not do self-regulation. The support system for children orphaned by AIDS included social support, policies support, education support, and health care support but improvement are needed in the future. Support system can be improved through much more feasible and concrete policies and strategies to guarantee these children’s basic needs and comprehensive development.

Analysis of the Immune Response by Standardized Whole‑Blood Stimulation with Metabolism Modulation

The immune system defends the body from infection and plays a vital role in a wide range of health conditions.Metabolism afects a series of physiological processes,including those linked to the function of human immune system.Cellular metabolism modulates immune cell activation and cytokine production.Understanding the relationship between metabolism and immune response has important implications for the development of immune-based therapeutics.However,the deployment of large-scale functional assays to investigate the metabolic regulation of immune response has been limited by the lack of standardized procedures.Here,we present a protocol for the analysis of immune response using standardized whole-blood stimulation with metabolism modulation.Diverse immune stimuli including pattern recognition receptor(PRR)ligands and microbial stimuli were incubated with fresh human whole blood.The metabolic inhibitors were used to modulate metabolic status in the immune cells.The variable immune responses after metabolic interventions were evaluated.We described in detail the main steps involved in the whole-blood stimulation and cytokines quantifcation,namely,collection and treatment of whole blood,preparation of samples and controls,cytokines detection,and stimulation with metabolic interventions.The metabolic inhibitors for anabolic pathways and catabolic pathways exert selective efects on the production of cytokines from immune cells.In addition to a robust and accurate assessment of immune response in cohort studies,the standardized whole-blood stimulation with metabolic regulation might provide new insights for modulating immunity.

Robust perfluorinated porous organic networks: Succinct synthetic strategy and application in chlorofluorocarbons adsorption

Fluorinated porous organic networks(F-PONs)have demonstrated unique properties and applications,but approaches capable of affording F-PONs with high fluorine content and robust nanoporous architecture under metal-free and easy handling conditions are still rarely reported.Herein,using polydivinylbenzene(PDVB)as an easily available precursor,a novel and straightforward approach was developed to afford F-PONs via a dehydrative Friedel-Crafts reaction using perfluorinated benzylic alcohols as the cross-linking agent promoted by Bronsted acid(trifluoromethanesulfonic acid).The afforded material(F-PDVB)featured high fluorine content(22 at.%),large surface area(771 m^(2)·g^(-1)),and good chemical/thermal stability,rendering them as promising candidates for the adsorption of CO_(2),hydrocarbons,fluorocarbons,and chlorofluorocarbons,with weight capacities up to 520 wt.%being achieved.This simple methodology can be extended to fabricate fluorinated hyper-crosslinked polymers(F-HCPs)from rigid aromatic monomers.The progress made in this work will open new opportunities to further expand the involvement of fluorinated materials in large scale applications.

Deep Immunophenotyping of Human Whole Blood by Standardized Multi‑parametric Flow Cytometry Analyses

Immunophenotyping is proving crucial to understanding the role of the immune system in health and disease.High-through-put flow cytometry has been used extensively to reveal changes in immune cell composition and function at the single-cell level.Here,we describe six optimized 11-color flow cytometry panels for deep immunophenotyping of human whole blood.A total of 51 surface antibodies,which are readily available and validated,were selected to identify the key immune cell populations and evaluate their functional state in a single assay.The gating strategies for effective flow cytometry data analysis are included in the protocol.To ensure data reproducibility,we provide detailed procedures in three parts,including(1)instrument characterization and detector gain optimization,(2)antibody titration and sample staining,and(3)data acquisition and quality checks.This standardized approach has been applied to a variety of donors for a better understanding of the complexity of the human immune system.

Efficiently Improving Ensemble Forecasts of Warm-Sector Heavy Rainfall over Coastal Southern China: Targeted Assimilation to Reduce the Critical Initial Field Errors

Warm-sector heavy rainfall events over southern China are difficult to accurately forecast, due in part to inaccurate initial fields in numerical weather prediction models. In order to determine an efficient way of reducing the critical initial field errors, this study conducts and compares two sets of 60-member ensemble forecast experiments of a warm-sector heavy rainfall event over coastal southern China without data assimilation(NODA) and with radar radial velocity data assimilation(RadarDA). Yangjiang radar data, which can provide offshore high-resolution wind field information, were assimilated by using a Weather Research and Forecasting(WRF)-based ensemble Kalman filter(EnKF) system. The results show that the speed and direction errors of the southeasterly airflow in the marine boundary layer over the northern South China Sea may primarily be responsible for the forecast errors in rainfall and convection evolution. Targeted assimilation of radial velocity data from the Yangjiang radar can reduce the critical initial field errors of most members, resulting in improvements to the ensemble forecast. Specifically, RadarDA simulations indicate that radial-velocity data assimilation(VrDA) can directly reduce the initial field errors in wind speed and direction, and indirectly and slightly adjust the initial moisture fields in most members, thereby improving the evolution features of moisture transport during the subsequent forecast period. Therefore, these RadarDA members can better capture the initiation and development of convection and have higher forecast skill for the convection evolution and rainfall. The improvement in the deterministic forecasts of most members results in an improved overall ensemble forecast performance. However, VrDA sometimes results in inappropriate adjustment of the initial wind field,so the forecast skill of a few members decreases rather than increases after VrDA. This suggests that a degree of uncertainty remains about the effect of the WRF-based EnKF system. Moreover, the results further indicate that accurate forecasts of the convection evolution and rainfall of warm-sector heavy rainfall events over southern China are challenging.

Science and Prediction of Heavy Rainfall over China:Research Progress since the Reform and Opening-Up of New China

This paper reviews the major progress on development of the science and prediction of heavy rainfall over China since the beginning of the reform and opening-up of new China(roughly between 1980 and 2019).The progress of research on the physical mechanisms of heavy rainfall over China is summarized from three perspectives:1)the relevant synoptic weather systems,2)heavy rainfall in major sub-regions of China,and 3)heavy rainfall induced by typhoons.The development and application of forecasting techniques for heavy rainfall are summarized in terms of numerical weather prediction techniques and objective forecasting methods.Greatly aided by the rapid progress in meteorological observing technology and substantial improvement in electronic computing,studies of heavy rainfall in China have advanced to investigating the evolution of heavy-rain-producing storms and observational analysis of the cloud microphysical features.A deeper and more systematic understanding of the synoptic systems of importance to the production of heavy rainfall has also been developed.Operational forecast of heavy rainfall in China has changed from subjective weather event forecasts to a combination of both subjective and objective quantitative precipitation forecasts,and is now advancing toward probabilistic quantitative precipitation forecasts with the provision of forecast uncertainty information.

Analysis of Paths and Sources of Moisture for the South China Rainfall during the Presummer Rainy Season of 1979–2014

The paths and sources of moisture supplied to South China during two periods of the presummer rainy season （April-June） of 1979-2014, i.e., before and after the onset of the summer monsoon over the South China Sea （SCS）, are investigated by using the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory （HYSPLIT） model. During the premonsoon-onset period, the moisture transport trajectories are clustered into 6 groups, with four ocean-originating paths providing 83.9% and two continent-originating paths （originating over Lake Baikal and the Persian Gulf） con- tributing the remaining 16.1% of the total moisture. The two Pacific-originating paths, from the western Pacific Ocean and the East China Sea, combined account for about 46%, the SCS-originating path contributes about 24.3%, while the Bay of Bengal-originating path accounts for 13.6% of the total moisture over South China. The trajectories during the postmonsoon-onset period are clustered into 4 groups, with three southwesterly paths （from the Arabian Sea, the central Indian Ocean, and the western Indian Ocean, respectively） accounting for more than 76% and the sole Pacific-originating path accounting for 23.8% of the total moisture. The formation of the moisture transport tra-jectories is substantially affected by the topography, especially the Tibetan Plateau and the Indian and Indo-China Peninsulas. The SCS region contributes the most moisture during both periods （35.3% and 31.1%）. The Pacific Ocean is ranked second during the former period （about 21.0%） but its contribution is reduced to 5.0% during the lat-ter period, while the contribution from the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean combined increases from 17.1% to 43.2%.

Science and prediction of monsoon heavy rainfall

With the increasing incidence of heavy rainfall events,particularly over the monsoon regions,the highly dense populations are more vulnerable[1].Research initiatives on observation,modeling,and prediction of monsoon heavy rainfall have been promoted actively by World Weather Research Programme's(WWRP)Working Group on Tropical Meteorology Research(WGTMR)of the World Meteorological Organization(WMO)since 2010.Series of monsoon-heavy-rainfall workshops were held in Beijing(2011),Petaling Jaya(2012),and New Delhi(2015)to benefit scientists worldwide and forecasters from the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services.An international Research and Development Project,namely,the Southern China Monsoon Rainfall Experiment(SCMREX)[2]was established in 2013 to coordinate field campaign experiments and to conduct scientific research on presummer(April-June)heavy rainfall processes in southern China.

Cause–Effect Relationship between Meso-γ-Scale Rotation and Extreme Short-Term Precipitation:Observational Analyses at Minute and Sub-Kilometer Scales

The cause–effect relationship between meso-γ-scale rotation and extreme short-term precipitation events remains elusive in mesoscale meteorological research.We aimed to elucidate this relationship by analyzing a rainstorm over the Pearl River Delta during the nocturnal hours of 15 May 2017 based on 6-min radar observations and 1-min rain gauge data.This rainstorm had a maximum hourly rainfall of 100.1 mm,with 26 stations recording hourly rainfall>60 mm h^(−1) in 5 h.Extreme heavy precipitation was produced in association with a convergence zone along the southern side of a synoptic low-level shear line,where southwesterly warm,humid airflows with precipitable water of>60 mm,little convection inhibition(<10 J kg^(−1)),and a low lifting condensation level(about 300 m)dominated.A meso-γ-scale vortex was quantitatively identified during the hour with the largest number of gauges observing extreme hourly rainfall.The vortex had a mean diameter of 6.1 km and a peak intensity of 3.1×10^(−3) s^(−1) during its lifetime of 54 min.The vortex initialized and remained inside the region of extreme rain rates(radar-retrieved rain rates>100 mm h^(−1)),reached its peak intensity after the peak of the collocated 6-min rainfall accumulation,and then weakened rapidly after the extreme rainfall region moved away.The radar-retrieved liquid water path was about five to seven times the ice water path and the specific differential phase(Kdp)below 0°C increased sharply downward during the lifetime of the vortex,suggesting the presence of active warm rain microphysical processes.These results indicate that the release of the latent heat of condensation induced by extreme rainfall could have contributed to the formation of the vortex in an environment with a weak 0–1-km vertical wind shear(about 4–5 m s^(−1))through enhanced lowlevel convergence,although the strengthening of low-level updrafts by rotational dynamic effects and short-term rainfall cannot be ruled out.

Classification and Diurnal Variations of Precipitation Echoes Observed by a C-band Vertically-Pointing Radar in Central Tibetan Plateau during TIPEX-Ⅲ 2014-IOP

This study investigates classification and diurnal variations of the precipitation echoes over the central Tibetan Plateau based on the observations collected from a C-band vertically-pointing frequency-modulated continuous-wave(C-FMCW)radar during the Third Tibetan Plateau Atmospheric Scientific Experiment(TIPEX-Ⅲ)2014-Intensive Observation Period(2014-IOP).The results show that 51.32%of the vertical profiles have valid echoes with reflectivity>–10 dBZ,and 35.06% of the valid echo profiles produce precipitation at the ground(precipitation profiles);stratiform precipitation with an evident bright-band signature,weak convective precipitation,and strong convective precipitation account for 52.03%,42.98%,and 4.99% of the precipitation profiles,respectively.About 59.84% of the precipitation occurs in the afternoon to midnight,while 40.16% of the precipitation with weaker intensity is observed in the nocturnal hours and in the morning.Diurnal variation of occurrence frequency of precipitation shows a major peak during 2100–2200 LST(local solar time)with 59.02%being the stratiform precipitation;the secondary peak appears during 1300–1400 LST with 59.71% being the weak convective precipitation;the strong convective precipitation occurs mostly(81.83%)in the afternoon and evening with two peaks over 1200–1300 and 1700–1800 LST,respectively.Starting from approximately 1100 LST,precipitation echoes develop with enhanced vertical air motion,elevated echo top,and increasing radar reflectivity.Intense upward air motion occurs most frequently in 1700–1800 LST with a secondary peak in 1100–1400 LST,while the tops of precipitation echoes and intense upward air motion reach their highest levels during 1600–1800 LST.The atmospheric conditions in the early morning are disadvantageous for convective initiation and development.Around noon,the convective available potential energy(CAPE)increases markedly,convective inhibition(CIN)is generally small,and a super-dry-adiabatic layer is present near the surface(0–400 m).In the early evening,some larger values of CAPE,level of neutral buoyancy,and total precipitable water are present,suggesting more favorable thermodynamic and water vapor conditions.