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.

Effects of surface heating on precipitation over the Tibetan Plateau and its eastern margin

The high terrain of the Tibetan Plateau(TP)has a very important impact on the weather and climate of China,East Asia,South Asia,and even the Northern Hemisphere.However,in recent years,the reasons for the decrease in precipitation in the southeastern edge of the plateau have resulted in cutting-edge research regarding the impact of the TP and its surrounding areas on downstream weather and climate.In this study,the spatial and temporal distribution of surface heat flux and precipitation were analyzed from 1998 to 2022,and the possible mechanism of the decrease of precipitation in the eastern edge of the plateau is explored.The main conclusions are as follows:The annual average sensible heat flux in the TP and its east side is positive,with an average of 33.73 W/m^(2).The annual average latent heat flux is positive,with an average of 42.71 W/m^(2).Precipitation has a similar annual average and seasonal distribution,with modest amounts in the northwest and substantial amounts in the southeast.The average annual accumulated precipitation is 670.69 mm.The first mode of the Empirical Orthogonal Function(EOF)shows that sensible heat flux decreases first,then increases,and then finally decreases during 1998–2022.The modes show the opposite trend in middle part of the plateau.The latent heat flux initially decreases,then increases,and finally decreases in the western plateau and near Sichuan Basin.The mode,however,displays the opposite tendency throughout the rest of the region.The precipitation in the north and south sides of the plateau has decreased since 2013,which is consistent with the changing trend of sensible heat flux.In the rest of the region,the change trend is not obvious.The sensible heat of the main body of the plateau and its east side and Sichuan Basin is negatively correlated with precipitation,that is,when sensible heat flux of the main body of the plateau and its east side and Sichuan Basin is more(less),local precipitation is less(more).The latent heat of the main body of the plateau and its east side,Sichuan Basin is positively correlated with precipitation,indicating that when latent heat flux of the main body of the plateau and its east side,Sichuan Basin is more(less),local precipitation is more(less).

A comparative study of the land-atmosphere energy and water exchanges over the Tibetan Plateau and the Yangtze River Region

正确认识不同区域能量和水分循环特征是研究局地地气相互作用及准确预测区域天气,气候变化的关键.为了研究属于干旱/半干旱气候的青藏高原(TP)和湿润/半湿润气候的长江流域(YRR)之间地表能量和水分交换的异同,本文对比分析了两个区域8个不同地表类型(包括高山荒漠,高山草地,(平原)城市和(平原)草地等)观测站点的地表辐射和能量通量数据.结果显示:(1)TP由于高原大气层稀薄且空气洁净,年平均入射短波辐射为251.3W m^(-2),是YRR的1.7倍.加之高原地表反照率高导致反射辐射(59.6 W m^(-2))是YRR的2.87倍.入射及出射的长波辐射为231.5和338.0 W m^(-2),分别为YRR的0.64和0.83.而两个区域的净辐射差异不大;(2)草地站更多的潜热释放使得地表总加热效率高于城市和高山荒漠,TP和YRR的草地站的年平均潜热分别为35.0和38.8 W m^(-2),而植被稀疏且土壤干燥的高山荒漠地区感热最大,年平均感热为42.1 W m^(-2);其次是城市下垫面,其年平均感热为37.7 W m^(-2).研究结果揭示了不同气候背景下典型下垫面地气相互作用特征,为地气相互作用过程深入分析奠定了基础.

The Impact of Atmospheric Heat Sources over the Eastern Tibetan Plateau and the Tropical Western Pacific on the Summer Rainfall over the Yangtze-River Basin

The variability of the summer rainfall over China is analyzed using the EOF procedure with a new parameter （namely, mode station variance percentage） based on 1951-2000 summer rainfall data from 160 stations in China. Compared with mode variance friction, the mode station variance percentage not only reveals more localized characteristics of the variability of the summer rainfall, but also helps to distinguish the regions with a high degree of dominant EOF modes representing the analyzed observational variable. The atmospheric circulation diagnostic studies with the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis daily data from 1966 to 2000 show that in summer, abundant （scarce） rainfall in the belt-area from the upper-middle reaches of the Yangtze River northeastward to the Huaihe River basin is linked to strong （weak） heat sources over the eastern Tibetan Plateau, while the abundant （scarce） rainfall in the area to the south of the middle-lower reaches of the Yangtze River is closely linked to the weak （strong） heat sources over the tropical western Pacific.

Impact of Surface Sensible Heating over the Tibetan Plateau on the Western Pacific Subtropical High: A Land–Air–Sea Interaction Perspective

The impact of surface sensible heating over the Tibetan Plateau （SHTP） on the western Pacific subtropical high （WPSH） with and without air-sea interaction was investigated in this study. Data analysis indicated that SHTP acts as a relatively independent factor in modulating the WPSH anomaly compared with ENSO events. Stronger spring SHTP is usually fol- lowed by an enhanced and westward extension of the WPSH in summer, and vice versa. Numerical experiments using both an AGCM and a CGCM confirmed that SHTP influences the large-scale circulation anomaly over the Pacific, which features a barotropic anticyclonic response over the northwestern Pacific and a cyclonic response to the south. Owing to different background circulation in spring and summer, such a response facilitates a subdued WPSH in spring but an en- hanced WPSH in summer. Moreover, the CGCM results showed that the equatorial low-level westerly at the south edge of the cyclonic anomaly brings about a warm SST anomaly （SSTA） in the equatorial central Pacific via surface warm advection. Subsequently, an atmospheric Rossby wave is stimulated to the northwest of the warm SSTA, which in turn enhances the at- mospheric dipole anomalies over the western Pacific. Therefore, the air-sea feedbacks involved tend to reinforce the effect of SHTP on the WPSH anomaly, and the role of SHTP on general circulation needs to be considered in a land-air-sea interaction framework.

The Effects of Anomalous Snow Cover of the Tibetan Plateau on the Surface Heating

On the basis of snow data and AWS (Automatic Weather Station) data obtained from the Tibetan Plateau in recent years (1993 to 1999), the features of sensible heat, latent heat and net long-wave radiations are estimated, and their variations in more-snow year (1997/ 1998) and less-snow year (1996/ 1997) are analyzed comparatively. The relationships between snow cover of the Tibetan Plateau and plateau’s surface heating to the atmospheric heating are also discussed. The difference between more-snow and less-snow year in spring is remarkably larger than that in winter. Therefore, the effect of anomalous snow cover of the Tibetan Plateau in winter on the plateau heating appears more clearly in the following spring of anomalous snow cover. Key words Tibetan Plateau - Snow cover - Effects - Surface heat fluxes This research was supported by the National Key Programme for Developing Basic Sciences G1998040900 (I), National Natural Science Foundation of China (40075018) and Sichuan Youth Science and Technology Fund.

Varying Rossby Wave Trains from the Developing to Decaying Period of the Upper Atmospheric Heat Source over the Tibetan Plateau in Boreal Summer

This study demonstrates the two different Rossby wave train（RWT） patterns related to the developing/decaying upper atmospheric heat source over the Tibetan Plateau（TPUHS） in boreal summer. The results show that the summer TPUHS is dominated by quasi-biweekly variability, particularly from late July to mid-August when the subtropical jet steadily stays to the north of the TP. During the developing period of TPUHS events, the intensifying TPUHS corresponds to an anomalous upper-tropospheric high over the TP, which acts as the main source of a RWT that extends northeastward, via North China, the central Pacific and Alaska, to the northeastern Pacific region. This RWT breaks up while the anomalous high is temporarily replaced by an anomalous low due to the further deepened convective heating around the TPUHS peak. However, this anomalous low, though existing for only three to four days due to the counteracting dynamical effects of the persisting upper/lower divergence/convergence over the TP, acts as a new wave source to connect to an anomalous dynamical high over the Baikal region. Whilst the anomalous low is diminishing rapidly, this Baikal high becomes the main source of a new RWT, which develops eastward over the North Pacific region till around eight days after the TPUHS peak. Nevertheless, the anomaly centers along this decaying-TPUHS-related RWT mostly appear much weaker than those along the previous RWT.Therefore, their impacts on circulation and weather differ considerably from the developing to the decaying period of TPUHS events.

The Regional Surface Heating Field over the Heterogeneous Landscape of the Tibetan Plateau Using MODIS and In Situ Data

In this study, a parameterization scheme based on Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer （MODIS） data and in-situ data was tested for deriving the regional surface heating field over a heterogeneous landscape. As a case study, the methodology was applied to the whole Tibetan Plateau （TP） area. Four images of MODIS data （i.e., 30 January 2007, 15 April 2007, 1 August 2007, and 25 October 2007） were used in this study for comparison among winter, spring, summer, and autumn. The results were validated using the observations measured at the stations of the Tibetan Observation and Research Platform （TORP）. The results show the following： （1） The derived surface heating field for the TP area was in good accord with the land-surface status, showing a wide range of values due to the strong contrast of surface features in the area. （2） The derived surface heating field for the TP was very close to the field measurements （observations）. The APD （absolute percent difference） between the derived results and the field observations was 〈10%. （3） The mean surface heating field over the TP increased from January to April to August, and decreased in October. Therefore, the reasonable regional distribution of the surface heating field over a heterogeneous landscape can be obtained using this methodology. The limitations and further improvement of this method are also discussed.

Influence of Late Springtime Surface Sensible Heat Flux Anomalies over the Tibetan and Iranian Plateaus on the Location of the South Asian High in Early Summer

Variation in the location of the South Asian High （SAH） in early boreal summer is strongly influenced by elevated surface heating from the Tibetan Plateau （TP） and the Iranian Plateau （IP）. Based on observational and ERA-Interim data, diagnostic analyses reveal that the interannual northwestward-southeastwaxd （NW-SE） shift of the SAH in June is more closely correlated with the synergistic effect of concurrent surface thermal anomalies over the TP and IP than with each single surface thermal anomaly over either plateau from the preceding May. Concurrent surface thermal anomalies over these two plateaus in May are characterized by a negative correlation between sensible heat flux over most parts of the TP （TPSH） and IP （IPSH）. This anomaly pattern can persist till June and influences the NW-SE shift of the SAH in June through the release of latent heat （LH） over northeastern India. When the IPSH is stronger （weaker） and the TPSH is weaker （stronger） than normal in May, an anomalous cyclone （anticyclone） appears over northern India at 850 hPa, which is accompanied by the ascent （descent） of air and anomalous convergence （divergence） of moisture flux in May and June. Therefore, the LH release over northeastern India is strengthened （weakened） and the vertical gradient of apparent heat source is decreased （increased） in the upper troposphere, which is responsible for the northwestward （southeastward） shift of the SAH in June.

Uncertainties in Quantitatively Estimating the Atmospheric Heat Source over the Tibetan Plateau

As a huge,intense,and elevated atmospheric heat source(AHS) approaching the mid-troposphere in spring and summer,the Tibetan Plateau(TP) thermal forcing is perceived as an important factor contributing to the formation and variation of the Asian summer monsoon.Despite numerous studies devoted to determine the strength and change of the thermal forcing of the TP on the basis of various data sources and methods,uncertainties remain in quantitative estimation of the AHS and will persist for the following reasons:(1) Routine meteorological stations cover only limited regions and show remarkable spatial inhomogeneity with most distributed in the central and eastern plateau.Moreover,all of these stations are situated at an altitude below 5000 m.Thus,the large area above that elevation is not included in the data.(2) Direct observations on heat fluxes do not exist at most stations,and the sensible heat flux(SHF) is calculated by the bulk formula,in which the drag coefficient for heat is often treated as an empirical constant without considering atmospheric stability and thermal roughness length.(3) Radiation flux derived by satellite remote sensing shows a large discrepancy in the algorithm in data inversion and complex terrain.(4) In reanalysis data,besides the rare observational records employed for data assimilation,model bias in physical processes induces visible errors in producing the diabatic heating fields.

Formation and Variation of the Atmospheric Heat Source over the Tibetan Plateau and Its Climate Effects

To cherish the memory of the late Professor Duzheng YE on what would have been his 100 th birthday, and to celebrate his great accomplishment in opening a new era of Tibetan Plateau（TP） meteorology, this review paper provides an assessment of the atmospheric heat source（AHS） over the TP from different data resources, including observations from local meteorological stations, satellite remote sensing data, and various reanalysis datasets. The uncertainty and applicability of these heat source data are evaluated. Analysis regarding the formation of the AHS over the TP demonstrates that it is not only the cause of the atmospheric circulation, but is also a result of that circulation. Based on numerical experiments, the review further demonstrates that land–sea thermal contrast is only one part of the monsoon story. The thermal forcing of the Tibetan–Iranian Plateau plays a significant role in generating the Asian summer monsoon（ASM）, i.e., in addition to pumping water vapor from sea to land and from the lower to the upper troposphere, it also generates a subtropical monsoon–type meridional circulation subject to the angular momentum conservation, providing an ascending-air large-scale background for the development of the ASM.

Evolution of Surface Sensible Heat over the Tibetan Plateau Under the Recent Global Warming Hiatus

Based on regular surface meteorological observations and NCEP/DOE reanalysis data, this study investigates the evolution of surface sensible heat（SH） over the central and eastern Tibetan Plateau（CE-TP） under the recent global warming hiatus. The results reveal that the SH over the CE-TP presents a recovery since the slowdown of the global warming. The restored surface wind speed together with increased difference in ground-air temperature contribute to the recovery in SH.During the global warming hiatus, the persistent weakening wind speed is alleviated due to the variation of the meridional temperature gradient. Meanwhile, the ground surface temperature and the difference in ground-air temperature show a significant increasing trend in that period caused by the increased total cloud amount, especially at night. At nighttime, the increased total cloud cover reduces the surface effective radiation via a strengthening of atmospheric counter radiation and subsequently brings about a clear upward trend in ground surface temperature and the difference in ground-air temperature.Cloud–radiation feedback plays a significant role in the evolution of the surface temperature and even SH during the global warming hiatus. Consequently, besides the surface wind speed, the difference in ground-air temperature becomes another significant factor for the variation in SH since the slowdown of global warming, particularly at night.

Characteristics of the Seasonal Variation of the Surface TotalHeating over the Tibetan Plateau and Its Surrounding Areain Summer 1998 and Its Relationship with the Convectionover the Subtropical Area of the Western Pacific

Using the dataset of 1998 TIPEX, the data of 6 automatic heat balance observational stations (AWS) from May to August 1998, a dataset of 52 surface observational stations over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) and its adjacent region, the daily rainfall amounts from about 300 stations in China, the outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) data received by the National Satellite Meteorological Center(NSMC) of China, and TBB data from GMS remote sensing of Japan, the characteristics of the seasonal variation of the surface total heating over TP and its surrounding area in summer 1998 and its relationship with the convection over the subtropical area of the western Pacific is studied in this paper. The results show that the surface total heating over TP had a close relationship with the onset of the rainy season, and after the onset of the rainy season, the regional mean surface total heating over TP decreased distinctly. Furthermore, the regional mean surface total heating over TP had very good negative correlation with TBB over the subtropical area of the western Pacific along 20–30°N, which shows that the surface total heating over TP was able to affect the convection over the subtropical area of the western Pacific.

Impacts of the atmospheric apparent heat source over the Tibetan Plateau on summertime ozone vertical distributions over Lhasa

The Tibetan Plateau(TP)is an area sensitive to climate change,where the ozone distribution affects the atmospheric environment of the TP and its surrounding regions.The relatively low total column ozone over the TP in boreal summer and its spatiotemporal variations have received extensive attention.In this study,five-year balloon-borne measurements of ozone over Lhasa in boreal summer are used to investigate the influences of the apparent heat source(Q1)on the ozone vertical structure over the plateau.The mechanisms for the above processes are also explored.The results show that the tropospheric ozone mixing ratio over Lhasa decreases when the total atmospheric Q1 in the troposphere over the TP is relatively high.Strengthened ascending motions are accompanied by enhanced Q1 over the main TP region.Consequently,the tropospheric ozone mixing ratio over Lhasa decreases when Q1 is higher in summer,which is attributed to the upward transport of the ozone-poor surface air.

Estimations of Land Surface Characteristic Parameters and Turbulent Heat Fluxes over the Tibetan Plateau Based on FY-4A/AGRI Data

Accurate estimates of land surface characteristic parameters and turbulent heat fluxes play an important role in the understanding of land-atmosphere interaction. In this study, Fengyun-4A (FY-4A) Advanced Geostationary Radiation Imager (AGRI) satellite data and the China Land Data Assimilation System (CLDAS) meteorological forcing dataset CLDAS-V2.0 were applied for the retrieval of broadband albedo, land surface temperature (LST), radiation flux components, and turbulent heat fluxes over the Tibetan Plateau (TP). The FY-4A/AGRI and CLDAS-V2.0 data from 12 March 2018 to 30 April 2018 were first used to estimate the hourly turbulent heat fluxes over the TP. The time series data of in-situ measurements from the Tibetan Observation and Research Platform were divided into two halves-one for developing retrieval algorithms for broadband albedo and LST based on FY-4A, and the other for the cross validation. Results show the root-mean-square errors (RMSEs) of the FY-4A retrieved broadband albedo and LST were 0.0309 and 3.85 K, respectively, which verifies the applicability of the retrieval method. The RMSEs of the downwelling/upwelling shortwave radiation flux and downwelling/upwelling longwave radiation flux were 138.87/32.78 W m^(−2) and 51.55/17.92 W m^(−2), respectively, and the RMSEs of net radiation flux, sensible heat flux, and latent heat flux were 58.88 W m^(−2), 82.56 W m^(−2) and 72.46 W m^(−2), respectively. The spatial distributions and diurnal variations of LST and turbulent heat fluxes were further analyzed in detail.

ON THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE SUMMER RAINFALL IN CHINA AND THE ATMOSPHERIC HEAT SOURCES OVER THE EASTERN TIBETAN PLATEAU AND THE WESTERN PACIFIC WARM POOL

The relationships between the summer rainfall in China and the atmospheric heat sources over the eastern Tibetan Plateau and the western Pacific warm pool were analyzed comparatively, using the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis daily data. The strong (weak) heat source in summer over the eastern Tibetan Plateau will lead to abundant (scarce) summer rainfall in the Yangtze River basin, and scarce/abundant summer rainfall in the eastern part of Southern China. While the strong (weak) heat source in summer over the western Pacific warm pool will lead to another pattern of abundant (scarce) summer rainfall in the middle-lower reaches of the Yangtze River and scarce (abundant) summer rainfall in Southern China and in the region of northern Jiangsu to southern Shandong. Comparatively, the heat source over the eastern Tibetan Plateau affects a larger area of summer rainfall than the heat source over the western Pacific. In both cases of the heat source anomalies over the eastern Tibetan Plateau and over the western Pacific, there exist EAP-like teleconnection patterns in East Asia. The summer rainfall in China is influenced directly by the abnormal vertical motion, which is related closely to the abnormal heat sources in the atmosphere. The ridge line of the western Pacific High locates far south (north) in summer in the case of strong (weak) heat sources over the two areas mentioned above.

Characteristics of Atmospheric Heat Sources in the Tibetan Plateau-Tropical Indian Ocean Region

Investigating the temporal and spatial distributions of the atmospheric heat sources(AHS)over the Tibetan Plateau-Tropical Indian Ocean(TP-TIO)region is of great importance for the understanding of the evolution and development of the South Asian summer monsoon(SASM).This study used the Japanese 55-year Reanalysis(JRA-55)data from 1979 to 2016 and adopted statistical methods to study the characteristics of the AHS between the TP and TIO,and theirs link to the SASM on an interannual scale.The results indicated that the monthly variations of the AHS in the two regions were basically anti-phase,and that the summer AHS in the TP was obviously stronger than that in the TIO.There were strong AHS and atmospheric moisture sink(AMS)centers in both the eastern and western TP in summer.The AHS center in the east was stronger than that in the west,and the AMS centers showed the opposite pattern.In the TIO,a strong AHS center in the northwest-southeast direction was located near 10°S,90°E.Trend analysis showed that summer AHS in the TIO was increasing significantly,especially before 1998,whereas there was a weakening trend in the TP.The difference of the summer AHS between the TP and TIO(hereafter IQ)was used to measure the thermal contrast between the TP and the TIO.The IQ showed an obvious decreasing trend.After 1998,there was a weak thermal contrast between the TP and the TIO,which mainly resulted from the enhanced AHS in the TIO.The land-sea thermal contrast,the TIO Hadley circulation in the southern hemisphere and the SASM circulation all weakened,resulting in abnormal circulation and abnormal precipitation in the Bay of Bengal(BOB).

Estimating interaction between surface water and groundwater in a permafrost region of the northern Tibetan Plateau using heat tracing method

Understanding the interaction between groundwater and surface water in permafrost regions is essential to study flood frequencies and river water quality, especially in the high latitude/altitude basins. The application of heat tracing method,based on oscillating streambed temperature signals, is a promising geophysical method for identifying and quantifying the interaction between groundwater and surface water. Analytical analysis based on a one-dimensional convective-conductive heat transport equation combined with the fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing method was applied on a streambed of a mountainous permafrost region in the Yeniugou Basin, located in the upper Heihe River on the northern Tibetan Plateau. The results indicated that low connectivity existed between the stream and groundwater in permafrost regions.The interaction between surface water and groundwater increased with the thawing of the active layer. This study demonstrates that the heat tracing method can be applied to study surface water-groundwater interaction over temporal and spatial scales in permafrost regions.

The Rossby wave train patterns forced by shallower and deeper Tibetan Plateau atmospheric heat-source in summer in a linear baroclinic model

By using a linear baroclinic model(LBM),this study investigates the different Rossby wave train(RWT)patterns associated with the Tibetan Plateau(TP)upper-atmospheric heat source(TPUHS)that is anomalously shallower and deeper in boreal summer.Observational results indicate the different RWT patterns between the developing and decaying periods of synoptic TPUHS events,when the anomalous TPUHS develops from a relatively shallower to a deeper TP heat source.Based on the different vertical heating profiles between these two periods in observation,this study forces the LBM with prescribed TPUHS profiles to mimic a shallower and deeper summer TP heat source.The results show that the atmospheric responses to a shallower and deeper TPUHS do exhibit different RWT patterns that largely resemble those in observation.Namely,corresponding RWT pattern to a shallower TPUHS stretches from the TP to the west coast of America,while that to a deeper TPUHS extends from the TP region to Alaska.

Diagnostic Analysis of the Evolution Mechanism for a Vortex over the Tibetan Plateau in June 2008

Based on the final analyses data （FNL） of the Global Forecasting System of the NCEP and the obser- vational radiosonde data, the evolution mechanism of an eastward-moving low-level vortex over the Tibetan Plateau in June 2008 was analyzed. The results show that the formation of the vortex was related to the convergence between the northwesterly over the central Tibetan Plateau from the westerly zone and the southerly from the Bay of Bengal at 500 hPa, and also to the divergence associated with the entrance re- gion of the upper westerly jet at 200 hPa. Their dynamic effects were favorable for ascending motion and forming the vortex over the Tibetan Plateau. Furthermore, the effect of the atmospheric heat source （Q1） is discussed based on a transformed potential vorticity （PV） tendency equation. By calculating the PV budgets, we showed that Q1 had a great inffuence on the intensity and moving direction of the vortex. In the developing stage of the vortex, the heating of the vertically integrated Q1 was centered to the east of the vortex center at 500 hPa, increasing PV tendency to the east of the vortex. As a result, the vortex strengthened and moved eastward through the vertically uneven distribution of Q1. In the decaying stage, the horizontally uneven heating of Q1 at 500 hPa weakened the vortex through causing the vortex tubes around the vortex to slant and redistributing the vertical vorticity field.