Characteristics of atmospheric boundary layer structure and its influencing factors under different sea and land positions in Europe

This study identifies quantitatively the dominant contributions of meteorological factors on the development of the boundary layer heights(BLH)in the European region,based on 32 years(1990-2021)of radiosonde observations.The spatial variability of the BLH is further discussed by location,by classifying recording stations as inland,coastal,or bay.We find that the BLH in Europe varies considerably from day to night and with the seasons.Nighttime BLH is higher in winter and lower in summer,with the highest BLH recorded at coastal stations.Daytime BLH at coastal stations shows a bimodal structure with peaks in spring and autumn;at inland and bay stations,daytime BLH is lower in winter and higher in summer.The daily amplitudes of BLH at the inland and bay stations are stronger than those at coastal stations.Based on our multiple linear regression analysis and our decoupling analysis of temperature and specific humidity,we report that the development of the nighttime BLH at all types of stations is strongly dominated by the variations of surface wind speed(and,at coastal stations,wind directions).The main contributors to daytime BLH are the near-surface temperature variability at most coastal and inland stations,and,at most bay stations,the variation of the near-surface specific humidity.

A Strategy for Merging Objective Estimates of Global Daily Precipitation from Gauge Observations, Satellite Estimates, and Numerical Predictions

This paper describes a strategy for merging daily precipitation information from gauge observations, satellite estimates （SEs）, and numerical predictions at the global scale. The strategy is designed to remove systemic bias and random error from each individual daily precipitation source to produce a better gridded global daily precipitation product through three steps. First, a cumulative distribution function matching procedure is performed to remove systemic bias over gauge-located land areas. Then, the overall biases in SEs and model predictions （MPs） over ocean areas are corrected using a rescaled strategy based on monthly precipitation. Third, an optimal interpolation （OI）-based merging scheme （referred as the HL-OI scheme） is used to combine unbiased gahge observations, SEs, and MPs to reduce random error from each source and to produce a gauge--satellite-model merged daily precipitation analysis, called BMEP-d （Beijing Climate Center Merged Estimation of Precipitation with daily resolution）, with complete global coverage. The BMEP-d data from a four-year period （2011- 14） demonstrate the ability of the merging strategy to provide global daily precipitation of substantially improved quality. Benefiting from the advantages of the HL-OI scheme for quantitative error estimates, the better source data can obtain more weights during the merging processes. The BMEP-d data exhibit higher consistency with satellite and gauge source data at middle and low latitudes, and with model source data at high latitudes. Overall, independent validations against GPCP-1DD （GPCP one-degree daily） show that the consistencies between B MEP-d and GPCP-1DD are higher than those of each source dataset in terms of spatial pattern, temporal variability, probability distribution, and statistical precipitation events.

Influence of urbanization on the thermal environment of meteorological station:Satellite-observed evidence

In this paper, five national meteorological stations in Anhui province are taken as typical examples to explore the effects of local urbanization on their thermal environment by using Landsat data from 1990 to 2010. Satellite-based land use/land cover(LULC), land surface temperature(LST), normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI) are used to investigate the effects. The study shows that LULC around meteorological stations changed significantly due to urban expansion. Fast urbanization is the main factor that affects the spatial-temporal distribution of thermal environment around meteorological stations. Moreover, the normalized LST and NDVI exhibit strong inverse correlations around meteorological stations, so the variability of LST can be monitored through evaluating the variability of NDVI. In addition, station-relocation plays an important role in improving representativeness of thermal environment. Notably, the environment representativeness was improved, but when using the data from the station to study climate change, the relocation-induced inhomogeneous data should be considered and adjusted. Consequently,controlling the scale and layout of the urban buildings and constructions around meteorological stations is an effective method to ameliorate observational thermal environment and to improve regional representativeness of station observation. The present work provides observational evidences that high resolution Landsat images can be used to evaluate the thermal environment of meteorological stations.

Tropospheric NO_2 Columns over Northeastern North America: Comparison of CMAQ Model Simulations with GOME Satellite Measurements

We present comparisons of the NO2 regional Chemical Transport Model （CTM） simulations over North-eastern North America during the time period from May to September, 1998 with hourly surface NO2 observations and the NO2 columns retrieved from the GOME （Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment） satellite instrument. The model calculations were performed using the Mesoscale Meteorological Model 5 （MM5）, Sparse Matrix Operator Kernal Emissions （SMOKE）, and Community Multiscale Air Quality （CMAQ） modeling systems, using the emission data from the National Emissions Inventory （NEI） databases of 1996 （U.S.） and 1995 （Canada）. The major objectives were to assess the performance of the CMAQ model and the accuracy of the emissions inventories as they affected the simulations of this important short-lived atmospheric species. The modeled （NcMAQ） and measured （NGOME） NO2 column amounts, as well as their temporal variations, agreed reasonably well. The absolute differences （NcMAQ-NGOME） across the domain were between ±3.0×10^15 molecules cm^-2, but they were less than ±1.0×10^15 molecules cm^-2 over the majority （80%） of the domain studied. The overall correlation coefficient between the measurements and the simulations was 0.75. The differences were mainly ascribed to a combination of inaccurate emission data for the CTM and the uncertainties in the GOME retrievals. Of these, the former were the more easily identifiable.

Summer Monsoon Impacts on Chlorophyll-a Concentration in the Middle of the South China Sea:Climatological Mean and Annual Variability

Climatological mean and annual variations of Chlorophyll-a （Chl-a） distribution, sea surface wind （SSW）, and sea surface temperature （SST） from 1998 to 2008 were analyzed in the middle of the South China Sea （SCS）, focusing on the typical region off the east coast of Vietnam （8.5-14°N, 109.5-114°E）. Based on remote sensing data and SCS summer monsoon index （SCSSMI） data, high Chl-a concentrations in the middle of the SCS in the southwest summer monsoon season （June-September） may be related to strong Ekman pumping and strong wind stress. The maximum of the monthly averaged cli- matological Chl-a in the summer appeared in August. According to the annual variation, there was a significant negative correlation （r = -0.42） between the SCSSMI and SST, a strongly positive correlation （r=0.61） between the SCSSMI and Chl-a, and a strongly negative correlation （r = -0.74） between the SST and Chl-a in the typical region off the east coast of Vietnam during 1998-2008. Due to the E1 Nifio event specifically, the phenomena of a low Chl-a concentration, high SST and weak SCSSMI were extremely predominant in the summer of 1998. These relationships imply that the SCSSMI associated with the SST could be used to predict the annual variability of summer Chl-a in the SCS.

Risk Assessment and Zoning of Winter Wheat Drought in Anhui Province

[Objective]The study aimed to assess and zone the drought risk of winter wheat in Anhui Province. [Method] The zoning factors were chosen from three aspects of disaster-causing factors,disaster-bearing bodies and environment conducive to drought,and then their data were standardized,rasterized and graded. Using analytic hierarchy process（ AHP）,we determined the weight of each index at various levels and then established the assessment models of drought intensity,sensitivity,vulnerability and resistance of winter wheat in the whole growth period and at heading and filling stage. Finally,the zoning map of drought risk for winter wheat in Anhui Province was obtained using the farmland data mask of Anhui Province. [Result]The drought risk of winter wheat in Anhui Province in the whole growth period and at heading and filling stage was divided into six grades,which reflected the distribution characteristics and regional difference of drought risk for winter wheat in Anhui Province. Drought risk was the maximum in the main producing areas of winter wheat in the north of Huaihe River,followed by the area along Huaihe River and the area between Yangtze River and Huaihe River,while the drought risk of winter wheat was very low in the south of Anhui Province. The drought risk of winter wheat was markedly affected by the sensitivity to drought,vulnerability and the drought resistance of winter wheat. [Conclusion] The research could provide scientific references for rational distribution of winter wheat and establishment of strategies for disaster prevention and mitigation.

Squall Line and Its Vertical Motion Under Different Moisture Profiles in Eastern China

The impacts of different moisture profiles on the structure and vertical motion of squall lines were investigated by conducting a set of numerical simulations.The base state was determined by an observational sounding,with high precipitable water representing moist environmental conditions in the East Asian monsoon region.To reveal the impact of moisture at different levels,the moisture content at the middle and low levels were changed in the numerical simulations.The numerical results showed that more convective cells developed and covered a larger area in the high moisture experiments,which was characteristic of the convection during the Meiyu season in China.In addition,high moisture content at low levels favored the development of updrafts and triggered convection of greater intensity.This was demonstrated by the thermodynamic parameters,including Convective Available Potential Energy(CAPE),Lifted Index(LI),Lift Condensation Level(LCL),and Level of Free Convection(LFC).Dry air at middle levels led to strong downdrafts in the environment and updrafts in clouds.This could be because dry air at middle levels favors the release of latent heat,thereby promoting updrafts in clouds and downdrafts in the environment.Therefore,high relative humidity(RH)at low levels and low RH at middle levels favors updrafts in the cloud cores.Additionally,moist air at low levels and dry air at middle levels promotes the development of convective cells and the intensification of cold pool.The squall line can be organized by the outflow boundary induced by cold pool.The balance of cold pool and environmental wind shear is favorable for the maintenance and strengthening of squall lines.

Grid-cell Aerosol Direct Shortwave Radiative Forcing Calculated Using the SBDART Model with MODIS and AERONET Observations：An Application in Winter and Summer in Eastern China

Taking winter and summer in eastern China as an example application, a grid-cell method of aerosol direct radiative forcing（ADRF） calculation is examined using the Santa Barbara DISORT Atmospheric Radiative Transfer（SBDART） model with inputs from MODIS and AERONET observations and reanalysis data. Results show that there are significant seasonal and regional differences in climatological mean aerosol optical parameters and ADRF. Higher aerosol optical depth（AOD）occurs in summer and two prominent high aerosol loading centers are observed. Higher single scattering albedo（SSA） in summer is likely associated with the weak absorbing secondary aerosols. SSA is higher in North China during summer but higher in South China during winter. Aerosols induce negative forcing at the top of the atmosphere（TOA） and surface during both winter and summer, which may be responsible for the decrease in temperature and the increase in relative humidity.Values of ADRF at the surface are four times stronger than those at the TOA. Both AOD and ADRF present strong interannual variations; however, their amplitudes are larger in summer. Moreover, patterns and trends of ADRF do not always correspond well to those of AOD. Differences in the spatial distributions of ADRF between strong and weak monsoon years are captured effectively. Generally, the present results justify that to calculate grid-cell ADRF at a large scale using the SBDART model with observational aerosol optical properties and reanalysis data is an effective approach.

Structural Characteristics of Atmospheric Temperature and Humidity inside Clouds of Convective and Stratiform Precipitation in the Rainy Season over East Asia

In this study, a merged dataset constructed from Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission precipitation radar rain products and Integrated Global Radiosonde Archive data is used to investigate the thermal structural characteristics of convective and stratiform precipitation in the rainy season （May-August） of 1998-2012 over East Asia. The res- ults show that the storm tops for convective precipitation are higher than those for stratiform precipitation, because of the more unstable atmospheric motions for convective precipitation. Moreover, the storm tops are higher at 1200 UTC than at 0000 UTC over land regions for both convective and stratiform precipitation, and vice versa for ocean region. Additionally, temperature anomaly patterns inside convective and stratiform precipitating clouds show a neg- ative anomaly of about 0-2 K, which results in cooling effects in the lower troposphere. This cooling is more obvi- ous at 1200 UTC for stratiform precipitation. The positive anomaly that appears in the middle troposphere is more than 2 K, with the strongest warming at 300 hPa. Relative humidity anomaly patterns show a positive anomaly in the middle troposphere （700-500 hPa） prior to the occurrence of the two types of precipitation, and the increase in mois- ture is evident for stratiform precipitation.

Impact of EnKF assimilating Himawari-8 all-sky infrared radiance on the forecasting of a warm-sector rainstorm event

Warm-sector rainstorms are highly localized events, with weather systems and triggering mechanisms are not obvious,leading to limited forecasting capabilities in numerical models. Based on the ensemble Kalman filter(PSU-En KF) assimilation system and the regional mesoscale model WRF, this study conducted a simulation experiment assimilating all-sky infrared(IR)radiance for a warm-sector rainstorm in East China and investigated the positive impact of assimilating the Himawari-8 moisture channel all-sky IR radiance on the forecast of the rainstorm. Results indicate that hourly cycling assimilation of all-sky IR radiance can significantly improve the forecast accuracy of this warm-sector rainstorm. There is a notable increase in the Threat Score(TS), with the simulated location and intensity of the 3-hour precipitation aligning more closely with observations. These improvements result from the assimilation of cloud-affected radiance, which introduces more mesoscale convective information into the model's initial fields. The adjustments include enhancements to the moisture field, such as increased humidity and moisture transport, and modifications to the wind field, including the intrusion of mid-level cold air and the strengthening of lowlevel convergent shear. These factors are critical in improving the forecast of this warm-sector rainstorm event.

The most typical shape of oceanic mesoscale eddies from global satellite sea level observations

In this research, we normalized the character- istics of ocean eddies by using satellite observation of the Sea Level Anomaly （SLA） data to determine the most typical shape of ocean eddies. This normalization is based on modified analytic functions with nonlinear optimal fitting. The most typical eddy is the Taylor vortex （~50%）, which exhibits a Gaussian-shaped exp（-r2） SLA and a vorticity distribution of （1-rZ）exp（-r2） as a function of the normalized radii r. The larger the amplitude of the eddy, the more likely the eddy is to be Gaussian-shaped. Furthermore, approximately 40% of ocean eddies are combinations of two Gaussian eddies with different parameters, but the composition of these types of eddies is more like a quadratic eddy than a Gaussian one. Only a small portion of oceanic eddies are pure quadratic eddies （ 〈 10%） with the same vorticity distribution as a Rankine vortex. We concluded that the Taylor vortex is a good approximation of the typical shape of ocean eddies.

Climatological Characteristics of Summer Precipitation over East Asia Measured by TRMM PR:A Review

Precipitation is an important indicator of climate change and a critical process in the hydrological cycle, on both the global and regional scales. Methods of precipitation observation and associated analyses are of strategic importance in global climate change research. As the first space-based radar, the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission （TRMM） Precipitation Radar （PR） has been in operation for almost 17 years and has acquired a huge amount of cloud and pre- cipitation data that provide a distinctive view to help expose the nature of cloud and precipitation in the tropics and subtropics. In this paper we review recent advances in summer East Asian precipitation climatology studies based on long-term TRMM PR measurements in the following three aspects： （1） the three-dimensional structure of precipita- tion, （2） the diurnal variation of precipitation, and （3） the recent precipitation trend. Additionally, some importantprospects regarding satellite remote sensing of precipitation and its application in the near future are discussed.

Characteristics of the water-soluble components of aerosol particles in Hefei,China

Size-classified daily aerosol mass concentrations and concentrations of water-soluble inorganic ions were measured in Hefei,China,in four representative months between September 2012 and August 2013.An annual average mass concentration of 169.09μg/m^3 for total suspended particulate（TSP）was measured using an Andersen Mark-II cascade impactor.The seasonal average mass concentration was highest in winter（234.73μg/m^3）and lowest in summer（91.71μg/m^3）.Water-soluble ions accounted for 59.49%,32.90%,48.62%and 37.08%of the aerosol mass concentration in winter,spring,summer,and fall,respectively,which indicated that ionic species were the primary constituents of the atmospheric aerosols.The four most abundant ions were NO3^-,SO4^2-,Ca^2＋ and NH4^＋.With the exception of Ca^2＋,the mass concentrations of water-soluble ions were in an intermediate range compared with the levels for other Chinese cities.Sulfate,nitrate,and ammonium were the dominant fine-particle species,which were bimodally distributed in spring,summer and fall;however,the size distribution became unimodal in winter,with a peak at 1.1–2.1μm.The Ca^2＋ peak occurred at approximately 4.7–5.8μm in all seasons.The cation to anion ratio was close to 1.4,which suggested that the aerosol particles were alkalescent in Hefei.The average NO3^-/SO4^2-mass ratio was 1.10 in Hefei,which indicated that mobile source emissions were predominant.Significant positive correlation coefficients between the concentrations of NH4^＋ and SO4^2-,NH4^＋ and NO3^-,SO4^2-and NO3^-,and Mg^2＋ and Ca^2＋ were also indicated,suggesting that aerosol particles may be present as（NH4）2SO4,NH4HSO4,and NH4NO3.

Major Scientific Achievements of the First China–Japan Cooperative GAME/HUBEX Experiment: A Historical Review

In the summers of 1998 and 1999, Chinese and Japanese scientists cooperatively conducted the first large-scale energy and water cycle experiment(WCRP/GEWEX/GAME/HUBEX: World Climate Research Program/Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment/Asian Monsoon Experiment/Huaihe River Basin Energy and Water Cycle Experiment) in the Huaihe River basin, Anhui Province of China. The main objective of this field experiment(HUBEX)was to investigate the multiple-scale structure characteristics, life cycles, and genesis and development mechanisms of the Meiyu system in East Asia as well as the cause of related flooding disasters. It was a joint China-Japan cooperative meteorological and hydrological observation experiment. On the basis of intensive observations, scientists from the two countries conducted follow-up investigations through collating and compiling data and performing scientific analysis during the following five years. It can be concluded that the HUBEX project has yielded comprehensive and remarkable achievements. This paper introduces the major scientific results derived from this field experiment and the ensuing investigations, and reassesses their merits and shortages for the purpose of providing useful experience and proposing new research targets as well as prospects for the initiation of a new joint scientific Meiyu experiment in the middle and lower Yangtze River basin.

Measurement of HONO flux using the aerodynamic gradient method over an agricultural field in the Huaihe River Basin,China

To investigate nitrous acid(HONO)levels and potential HONO sources above crop rotation fields.The HONO fluxes were measured by the aerodynamic gradient(AG)method from 14 December 2019 to 2 January 2020 over an agricultural field in the Huaihe River Basin.The ambient HONO levels were measured at two different heights(0.15 and 1.5 m),showing a typical diurnal cycle with low daytime levels and high nighttime levels.The upward HONO fluxes were mostly observed during the day,whereas deposition dominated at night.The diurnal variation of HONO flux followed solar radiation,with a noontime maximum of 0.2 nmol/(m^(2)·sec).The average upward HONO flux of 0.06±0.17 nmol/(m^(2)·sec)indicated that the agricultural field was a net source for atmospheric HONO.The higher HONO/NO_(2)ratio and NO_(2)-to-HONO conversion rate close to the surface suggested that nocturnal HONO was formed and released near the ground.The unknown HONO source was derived from the daytime HONO budget analysis,with an average strength of 0.31 ppbV/hr at noontime.The surface HONO flux,which was highly correlated with the photolysis frequency J(NO_(2))(R^(2)=0.925)and the product of J(NO_(2))×NO_(2)(R^(2)=0.840),accounted for∼23%of unknown daytime HONO source.The significant correlation between HONO fluxes and J(NO_(2))suggests a light-driven HONO formation mechanism responsible for the surface HONO flux during daytime.