Characteristics and Preliminary Causes of Tropical Cyclone Remote Precipitation over China

In this study,the characteristics and preliminary causes of tropical cyclone remote precipitation(TRP)over China during the period from 1979 to 2020 are investigated.Results indicated that approximately 72.42%of tropical cyclones(TCs)in the Western Pacific produce TRP over China.The peak months for TRP are July and August.The four key regions of TRP are the adjacent areas between the Sichuan and Shaanxi Provinces,the northern coast of the Bohai Sea,the coast of the Yellow Sea,and the southern coast area.The typical distance between the station with TRP and the TC center ranges from 1500 to 2500 km.Most of these stations are situated north to 60°west of north of the TC.The south–west water vapor transportation on the west side of the TC is crucial to TRP.TRP has a decreasing trend because of the decrease in the number of TCs that generate TRP.From the perspective of large-scale environmental conditions,a decrease in the integrated horizontal water vapor transport in China' Mainland,the weakening of upward motion at approximately 25°–35°N,which is inconducive to convection,and an increase in low-level vertical wind shear,which is unfavorable for the development of TC in areas with high frequencies of TRP-related TCs,are the factors that result in the decreasing trend of TRP.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF SUMMER TROPICAL CYCLONE REMOTE PRECIPITATION EVENTS IN EAST ASIA FROM 2000 TO 2009 AND NUMERICAL SIMULATION

Using 1°×1° final analysis(FNL) data from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction(NCEP),precipitation data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission(TRMM) and the best-track tropical cyclone(TC)dataset provided by the Japan Meteorological Agency(JMA) for June-August of 2000-2009, we comprehensively consider the two factors low-level moisture channel and interaction between TCs and mid-latitude systems and implement a statistical analysis of remote precipitation in East Asia to the north of 0° and to the west of 150° E. 48 cases of remote precipitation occurred in this period, which are categorized into five classes. After a composite analysis of the different classes, the main systems at 850 h Pa and 500 h Pa that impact the remote precipitation are as follows:TC, mid-latitude trough, subtropical high and water vapor channel. In particular, the water vapor channel which usually connects with Indian monsoon has the most significant impact on remote heavy rainfall. Another important factor is the mid-latitude trough. The type of north trough/vortex-south TC remote precipitation events happen most frequently,accounting for 68.8% of the total incidence. Most remote precipitation events occur on the right side of the TC path(representing 71% of the total number). At 200 h Pa, the remote precipitation events usually occur on the right rear portion of a high-altitude jet stream, and there is an anti-cyclonic vortex to the east and west of the TCs. When there is no anti-cyclonic vortex to the east of the TC, the TC is relatively weak. When the remote precipitation occurs to the northwest of the TC and there is a trough in the northwest direction, the TC is relatively strong. Numerical experiments are carried out using Weather Research and Forecast(WRF) model. The results shows that the TC plays a main role in producing the heavy precipitation and results in the enhancement of precipitation by impacting the water vapor channel.

G-WADI PERSIANN-CCS GeoServer for extreme precipitation event monitoring

The Center for Hydrometeorology and Remote Sensing at the University of California, Irvine （CHRS） has been collaborating with UNESCO＇s International Hydrological Program （IHP） to build a facility for forecasting and mitigating hydrological disasters. This collaboration has resulted in the development of the Water and Development Information for Arid Lands-- a Global Network （G-WADI） PERSIANN-CCS GeoServer, a near real-time global precipitation visualization and data service. This GeoServer pro- vides to end-users the tools and precipitation data needed to support operational decision making, research and sound water man- agement. This manuscript introduces and demonstrates the practicality of the G-WADI PERSIANN-CCS GeoServer for monitor- ing extreme precipitation events even over regions where ground measurements are sparse. Two extreme events are analyzed. The first event shows an extreme precipitation event causing widespread flooding in Beijing, China and surrotmding districts on July 21, 2012. The second event shows tropical storm Nock-Ten that occurred in late July of 2011 causing widespread flooding in Thailand. Evaluation of PERSIANN-CCS precipitation over Thailand using a rain gauge network is also conducted and discussed.

Causal effects of shelter forests and water factors on desertification control during 2000–2010 at the Horqin Sandy Land region, China

The Horqin Sandy Land（HSL）, the largest sandy land in the semi-arid agro-pastoral ecotone of Northeast China, has been subject to desertification during the past century. In response, and to control the desertification,government implemented the Three-North Shelter/Protective Forest Program, world＇s largest ecological reforestation/afforestation restoration program. The program began in1978 and will continue for 75 years until 2050. Understanding the dynamics of desertification and its driving forces is a precondition for controlling desertification.However, there is little evidence to directly link causal effects with desertification process（i.e., on the changing area of sandy land） because desertification is a complex process,that can be affected by vegetation（including vegetation cover and extent of shelter forests） and water factors such as precipitation, surface soil moisture, and evapotranspiration.The objectives of this study were to identify how influencing factors, especially shelter forests, affected desertification in HSL over a recent decade. We used Landsat TM imagery analysis and path analysis to identify the effects of spatiotemporal changes in water and vegetation parameters during2000–2010. Desertification was controlled during the study period, as indicated by a decrease in desert area at a rate of163.3 km2year-1and an increase in the area with reduced intensity or extent of desertification. Total vegetation cover in HSL increased by 10.6 % during the study period and this factor exerted the greatest direct and indirect effects on slowing desertification. The contribution of total vegetation cover to controlling desertification increased with the intensity of desertification. On slightly and extremely severe desertified areas, vegetation cover contributed 5 and 42 % of the desertification reduction, respectively. There were significant correlations between total vegetation cover and water conditions（i.e., evapotranspiration and precipitation）and the area of shelter forests（P ／ 0.0001）, in which water conditions and the existence of shelter forests contributed49.7 and 12.8 % to total vegetation cover, respectively. The area of shelter forests increased sharply due to program efforts, but only shrub forests had significant direct effects on reducing the area of desertification categorized as slightly desertified. The reason for the lack of direct effect of increased arbor forests（accounting for 95.3 % of the total increase in shelter forests） on reducing desertification might be that the selected arbor species were not suited to water conditions（low precipitation, high evapotranspiration） prevailing at HSL. The establishment of shelter forests aided control of desertification in the HSL region, but the effect was less than expected. Effective control of desertification in the HSL region or other similar sandy areas will require greater improvements in vegetation cover. In particular,shrub species should be selected for plantation with reference to their potential to survive and reproduce in the harsh climatic and weather conditions typical of desertified areas.

Interaction Between Typhoon Vicente(1208) and the Western Pacific Subtropical High During the Beijing Extreme Rainfall of 21 July 2012

The heaviest rainfall in recent six decades fell in Beijing on 21 July 2012, reaching a record of 460 mm within 18 h. This rainfall was a typical remote precipitation event related to Typhoon Vicente（1208）.Observational analysis indicates that Vicente influenced distant heavy rainfall by transporting water vapor northward to the Beijing area. This moisture transport was mainly driven by the interaction between Vicente and the western Pacific subtropical high（WPSH） associated with the formation of a low-level southeasterly moisture channel. A set of numerical sensitivity experiments were performed with prescribed typhoons of different intensities to investigate the interaction between Vicente and the WPSH and its effects on this rainstorm process. The results indicate that the WPSH interacting with typhoons of different intensities may exert varying degrees of influence on the development of a southeasterly moisture channel, resulting in a change in rain rate and location over the Beijing area. Specifically, in the presence of an enhanced typhoon,the WPSH shows remarkable withdrawal to the east, which is favorable for a northward extension of the southeasterly moisture channel, thereby increasing moisture supply for the rainstorm. The WPSH tends to stretch westward in a zonal pattern if the typhoon is weakened or removed, hindering the northward extension of the moisture channel. Thus, the rainfall area may be expected to expand or contract, with corresponding increases or decreases in rain rate over the Beijing area with a strengthened or weakened typhoon, respectively.