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This paper introduces the X-band weather radar dual-polarization parameters of isolated convective cell precipitation and meso/microscale snowfall on Mount Everest and presents the first precipitation observations based on dual-polarization weather radar in this area. Compared with the Chengdu Plain, Mount Everest experienced convective precipitation on smaller horizontal and vertical scales with a narrower Zdr probability density spectrum (uniformly distributed around approximately 0). The Zh profile on Mount Everest displayed two peaks, unlike that over the plains, and the precipitation at the strong convective core was denser. Furthermore, during winter snowfall on the northern slope of Mount Everest, when the boundary layer exhibited sufficient water vapor and dynamic uplift, due to the low boundary layer temperature (<0 °C), water vapor produced stratiform clouds in the middle and lower layers (approximately 1.5 km above ground level (AGL)). Water vapor condensation at 1.5–2.5 km AGL led to latent heat release, which increased the temperature of regional stratiform clouds with increasing height. Consequently, the temperature at the stratiform cloud top height (2.5 km AGL) unexpectedly exceeded 0 °C. Additionally, the −20 °C isotherm was at approximately 4 km AGL, indicating that the middle- and upper-layer atmospheric temperatures remained low. Therefore, thermal instability occurred between the stratiform cloud top height and the middle/upper atmosphere, forming convective motion. These findings confirm the occurrence of elevated winter snowfall convection above Mount Everest and may have certain reference value for retrieving raindrop size distributions, quantitatively estimating precipitation, and parameterizing cloud microphysical processes in numerical prediction models for the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A grid-by-grid counting of interdecadal trend turning (ITT) of annual mean surface air temperature (SAT) and total precipitation at 67,359 terrestrial grids in the period 1951–2002 is presented. An analysis of the last ITTs of SAT and total precipitation in the period, in the context of both occurrence time and linear trends after the breakpoint, indicates that a warming trend has become highly significant across most reagent of the world in the late 20th Century. Most terrestrial grids have recorded an ITT of total precipitation in either the 1970s or 1980s, and 45.7% of the terrestrial grids in the study have seen a decreasing trend in total annual precipitation after the breakpoint, with the remaining 54.3% having experienced an increasing trend. Basically, global terrestrial regions have experienced either an increasingly warm and dry climate or an increasingly warm and wet climate. An analysis of ITT of regional mean SAT and total precipitation in 22 regions shows that the Northern American continent has become increasingly warm and dry after the last interdecadal breakpoint. Meanwhile, the African continent has become increasingly warm and wet, with both Europe and most of Asia having the same trend. Southern South America and the West of Australia have experienced an opposite trend in climate, becoming increasingly cold and wet. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The unique characteristics of land–air coupling and troposphere–stratosphere interaction over the Tibetan Plateau (TP), the highest landform in the world, play a vital role in weather and climate on regional and global scales. Although a great deal of research has been carried out, large gaps remain in our understanding of TP land–air coupling and its climate effects, due to a lack of observations and the issue of model biases. To address these obstacles, a 10-yr national research program entitled "Changes in the Land–Air Coupled System over the Tibetan Plateau and its Impacts on Global Climate (LASTPIC)" was launched by the National Natural Science Foundation of China in January 2014. What LASTPIC does revolves around three aspects: TP land–air coupled processes; TP's influence on global climate; and reanalysis and model. This paper mainly focuses on the data collection, scientific understanding, and model development of LASTPIC in terms of TP land–atmosphere–ocean coupling and its global climate impacts since program's inception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Three-Rivers Headwater (TRH) region has experienced notable dry-to-wet shift in summer precipitation in recent decades. Despite the widespread efforts of scientific community, the causes of such climate shift remain not well-understood. Building upon an ensemble of high-resolution Lagrangian simulations and moisture source diagnostic, this study investigated the long-term changes in moisture sources with the ERA-Interim reanalysis from 1980 to 2017, particularly aiming to pose a complimentary understanding on this shift from a perspective of moisture source changes. The results show that the variability of moisture sources for the water vapor reaching the TRH region is closely and quantitatively linked to its regional summer precipitation. The dry-to-wet shift in summer precipitation in TRH is regulated by the changes in moisture sources across multiple transport time scales (from 1 to 10 days), and could be attributed to the enhanced contribution by the moisture sources originated from the Tibetan Plateau (TP), the Central Eastern Asian region (CEA), and the Arabian Peninsula (ARP), of which regional accumulative moisture contribution increased by 11.3 (0.33%), 8.61 (0.27%) and 8.53 (0.52%) mm per year, respectively. This result implies that the terrestrial source ranks the leading role in regulating the decadal shift of TRH summer precipitation, rather than that directly from the oceanic regions. Although the moisture sources are across multiple transport timescales, the relatively shorter transport distance and steady contribution (lasting 1 to 10 days) from the TP highlight the significance of strengthened local precipitation recycling process in this dry-to-wet shift. Further analysis indicates the variations in mid-latitudinal meridional winds and the low-latitudinal SST play a role of 'bridge' connecting the changes in moisture sources to enhanced precipitation during the summer season. Key points: The decadal variation of regional precipitation over the TRH region is closely and quantitatively linked with the changes in moisture sources. The moisture sources responsible for the dry-to-wet shift in summer rainfall over the TRH have been detected. The weakened mid-latitudinal meridional winds and the warming low-latitudinal sea surface temperature bridge the moisture source changes and summer precipitation over the TRH region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region, with its complex terrain, has serious issues with air pollution. The northern and western parts of the BTH region are surrounded by the Yan Mountains and Loess Plateau (LP), and the south-central part of that region is a large open plain. Such special geographic configuration is prone to result in a concentrated pollution belt along the north-to-south direction on the eastern margin of the plateau, in addition to the influence of pollutant-emission sources and population distribution. In this study, based on an original adaptive nudging constraint method, we quantitatively analyzed the differences in the influence of emission sources under different dynamic and thermal conditions in the BTH region, which is impacted by a special large-scale leeward slope terrain. The mechanism of air pollution vulnerability and the comprehensive effects of terrain–meteorological conditions on air pollution in the BTH region were also discussed. The results indicated that the atmospheric diffusion conditions on the eastern side of the plateau were poor, and a sub-synoptic-scale "vortex sequence", which was composed of a series of linked vortices, was identified. The corresponding atmospheric pollution convergence line stretched from Beijing to Hebei to Northern Henan in the lower atmosphere. On the eastern edge of the plateau, a "warm cover" formed by a temperature anomaly and a downdraft impeded the vertical diffusion of pollutants. Therefore, pollutants tended to converge at the eastern edge of the plateau, and the pollution belts would move longitudinally north and south along the topography of the eastern slope when south-westerly and north-easterly winds alternated. The movement generated a "train" of pollutants that were transported on the eastern edge of the plateau, which then caused air pollution to persist there. Such terrain–meteorological conditions amplified the effects of emissions by an average of 50% to 150% in the region, leading the eastern side of the LP to become a "naturally vulnerable region" to haze pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stationary or mobile microwave radiometers (MRs) can measure atmospheric temperature, relative humidity, and water vapor density profiles with high spatio-temporal resolution, but cannot obtain the vertical variations of wind field. Based on a dataset of brightness temperatures (TBs) measured with a mobile MR over the Three-River-Source Region of the Tibetan Plateau from 18 to 30 July 2021, we develop a direct retrieval method for the wind profile (WP) based on the Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) network technique, and obtain the reliable dynamic variation characteristics of the WP in the region. Furthermore, the ground-based radiative transfer model for TOVS (RTTOV-gb) was employed to validate the reliability of the TB observation, and we analyzed the impact of weather conditions, altitude, observational mode, and TB diurnal variation on the accuracy of the TB measurement and the retrieval of the WP. Results show that the TB from the mobile observation (MOTB) on clear and cloudy days are close to those of the simulated TB with the RTTOV-gb model, while TB measurements on rainy days are far larger than the modeled TBs. When compared with radiosonde observations, the WPs retrieved with the LSTM algorithm are better than the ERA5 reanalysis data, especially below 350 hPa, where the root mean square errors for both wind speed and wind direction are smaller than those of ERA5. The major factors influencing WP retrieval include the weather conditions, altitude, observational mode, and TB diurnal variation. Under clear-sky and cloudy conditions, the LSTM retrieval method can reproduce the spatio-temporal evolution of wind field and vertical wind shear characteristics. The findings of this study help to improve our understanding of meso-scale atmospheric dynamic structures, characteristics of vertical wind shear, atmospheric boundary layer turbulence, and enhance the assessment and forecasting accuracy of wind energy resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In addition to the impact of pollutant emissions, haze pollution is connected with meteorology and climate change. Based on the interannual change analyses of meteorological and environmental observation data from 1981 to 2010, we studied the relationship between the winter haze frequency in central-eastern China (CEC) and the interannual variations of sea surface temperature (SST) over Western Pacific Warm Pool (WPWP) and its underlying mechanism to explore the thermal effect of WPWP on haze pollution variation in China. The results show a significant positive correlation coefficient reaching up to 0.61 between the interannual variations of SST in WPWP and haze pollution frequency in the CEC region over 1981–2010, reflecting the WPWP's thermal forcing exerting an important impact on haze variation in China. The anomalies of thermal forcing of WPWP could induce to the changes of East Asian winter monsoonal winds and the vertical thermal structures in the troposphere over the CEC region. In the winter with anomalously warm SST over the WPWP, the near-surface winds were declined, and vertical thermal structure in the lower troposphere tended to be stable over the CEC-region, which could be conducive to air pollutant accumulation leading to the more frequent haze occurrences especially the heavy haze regions of Yangtze River Delta (YRD) and Pearl River Delta (PRD); In the winter with the anomalously cold WPWP, it is only the reverse of warm WPWP with the stronger East Asian winter monsoonal winds and the unstable thermal structure in the lower troposphere, which could attribute to the less frequent haze pollution over the CEC region. Our study revealed that the thermal forcing of the WPWP could have a modulation on air environment change in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arctic region (AR) and Tibetan plateau (TP) are the most sensitive regions to climate change and have synchronously experienced accelerated warming over recent decades. Based on the multi-year observational data of PM 2.5 and meteorology, we investigated the modulation of AR and TP's anomalous warming on the variations of PM 2.5 pollution and regional transport over central and eastern China (CEC), including major PM 2.5 pollution regions in northern China (NC), the Yangtze river delta (YRD), central China (CC), and southern China (SC). Results show that the thermal effects of TP and AR modulated PM 2.5 pollution in different ways respectively with prominently influencing the interannual changes of PM 2.5 concentrations and heavy PM 2.5 pollution occurrences. The impacts of anomalous warming in TP and AR on PM 2.5 pollution consistently enhanced regional PM 2.5 transport from NC to YRD and SC, while the warming anomalies over AR and TP respectively enhanced and inhibited the southward transport of PM 2.5 from NC. In association with the synergistic impact of warming anomalies in AR and TP, the regional PM 2.5 transport over CEC presented the inverse patterns of the northward anomalies between NC and CC and the southward anomalies from the eastern part of NC, YRD to SC, forming the regional distribution with negative PM 2.5 anomalies in NC and CC and positive PM 2.5 anomalies in YRD and SC. Our results highlight the effect of warming anomalies in AR and TP on the PM 2.5 pollution over China with the implication of source–receptor relationship of regional transport of air pollutants. • The climate changes of AR and TP prominently alter the PM 2.5 concentrations and heavy pollution occurrences in CEC. • The warming anomalies over AR and TP respectively enhance and inhibit the southward transport of PM 2.5 in the CEC. • The synergistic effect of anomalous warming in AR and TP induces an inverse anomaly of PM 2.5 transport pattern over CEC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamical prediction of the Asian-Australian monsoon (AAM) has been an important and long-standing issue in climate science. In this study, the predictability of the first two leading modes of the AAM is studied using retrospective prediction datasets from the seasonal forecasting models in four operational centers worldwide. Results show that the model predictability of the leading AAM modes is sensitive to how they are defined in different seasonal sequences, especially for the second mode. The first AAM mode, from various seasonal sequences, coincides with the El Niño phase transition in the eastern-central Pacific. The second mode, initialized from boreal summer and autumn, leads El Niño by about one year but can exist during the decay phase of El Niño when initialized from boreal winter and spring. Our findings hint that ENSO, as an early signal, is conducive to better performance of model predictions in capturing the spatiotemporal variations of the leading AAM modes. Still, the persistence barrier of ENSO in spring leads to poor forecasting skills of spatial features. The multimodel ensemble (MME) mean shows some advantage in capturing the spatiotemporal variations of the AAM modes but does not provide a significant improvement in predicting its temporal features compared to the best individual models in predicting its temporal features. The BCC_CSM1.1M shows promising skill in predicting the two AAM indices associated with two leading AAM modes. The predictability demonstrated in this study is potentially useful for AAM prediction in operational and climate services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Flood‐Drought condition over the Three‐River Headwater region (TRHR) of the Tibetan Plateau (TP) exerts vital impacts on regional climate and downstream livelihoods. However, the reasons behind precipitation variability over this region remain elusive. In this study, the multi‐year moisture sources of water vapour reaching the TRHR were identified to reveal their connection to the interannual variability of summer precipitation by utilizing a Lagrangian diagnosis analysis. The results show that the moisture sources could be tracked backward covering vast areas, with the peak values located mostly at the northern Indian continent and adjacent regions of TRH itself. The variability of integrated moisture sources' contribution agrees well with the summer precipitation on the interannual scale; However, the role of different regions varies in line with their geographical location. More specifically, summer precipitation is positively correlated with the moisture source over the adjacent areas of TRH and the remote terrestrial‐oceanic regions, in contrast to a negative correlation to the water vapour departing from the Northeastern Asian and western regions to the TP. The Indian summer monsoon circulation and local recycling process play a dominant role in modulating the summer precipitation on the interannual scale, whereas the role of the westerlies is almost negligible. The abnormal atmosphere circulations triggered by mid‐high latitude wave trains and anomalies in SST in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean could serve as possible drivers for the precipitation variability over TRHR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Tibetan Plateau (TP) impacts local and remote atmospheric circulations, wherein it mechanically and thermally affects air masses or airflows. Moreover, the TP provides a key channel for substance transport between the troposphere and the stratosphere. This study reviews recent advances in research regarding land–atmosphere coupling processes over the TP. The TP experiences climate warming and wetting. Climate warming has caused glacier retreat, permafrost degradation, and a general increase in vegetation density, while climate wetting has led to a significant increase in the number of major lakes, primarily through increased precipitation. Local and regional climates are affected by interactions between the land and the atmosphere. Namely, the TP drives surface pollutants to the upper troposphere in an Asian summer monsoon (ASM) anticyclone circulation, before spreading to the lower stratosphere. Further, the thermal forcing of the TP plays an essential role in the ASM. TP forcing can modulate hemispheric‐scale atmospheric circulations across all seasons. The TP interacts with remote oceans through a forced atmospheric response and is substantially affected by the evolution of the Earth's climate via promoting Atlantic meridional overturning circulation and eliminating Pacific meridional overturning circulation. The extensive influence of the TP is facilitated by its coupling with the ASM in the summer; whereas its winter influence on climate mainly occurs through Rossby waves. The observed increasing trends of temperature and precipitation over the TP are projected to continue throughout the 21st century. Plain Language Summary: The impact of the Tibetan Plateau on atmospheric circulation and the climate has been of great interest to the scientific community. Here, we review the literature on the mechanisms of its climate effects, to provide an overview of recent progress in the field and directives for future research. Key Points: We summarize recent advances in climate change research and observations of the land–atmosphere coupling processes over the Tibetan Plateau (TP)We highlight the impact of the TP on the global climate, including atmospheric species transport, circulation, and air‐sea interactionsWe conclude projected future climate changes over the TP and discuss future research directives for assessing the TP's global climate impact [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The North China Plain (NCP) is a major region of summer O 3 pollution in China. However, the contribution of stratosphere-to-troposphere transport (STT) to summertime surface O 3 in the NCP and the meteorological mechanisms are poorly understood. In this study, meteorological reanalysis data, O 3 observations, and Lagrange modeling were used to analyze the contribution of the STT to the change in surface O 3 in the NCP, the vertical transport pathways, and the associated meteorological mechanism. In summer 2019, the STT contributed an estimated 5.7%–18.8% to the surface O 3 concentrations in the NCP. The influence of the STT in the NCP is closely related to the changes in westerly circulation in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) over the Eurasian region. The troughs and vortices in the westerlies led to the convergences of O 3 in the UTLS and tropopause folding, forming downward intrusions of O 3 -rich air from the UTLS to the lower troposphere. Controlled by the westerly circulation, the O 3 source regions of STT in the stratosphere are found between 40° and 70°N, oscillating zonally with changing transport periods, where a key source region of STT is situated steadily over 60°-100°E northwest of the NCP. In association with the cut-off low of westerly circulation in the UTLS over Siberia evolved from the splitting of the polar vortex, a slanted channel of O 3 downward intrusion was set up from the UTLS to the lower troposphere over the NCP in 7 days. As the cut-off low in westerly circulation moves southeastward close to the NCP, the channel of the O 3 downward intrusion is set upright with a shorter period of vertical transport to the NCP ground. Our results provide insights into the the O 3 source–receptor relationship in the STT with vertical O 3 transport structures in changes in the atmospheric environment. • STT contributes 5.7%–18.8% to surface O 3 in the North China Plain (NCP). • Stratospheric O 3 sources intruding NCP oscillate over 60–100°E and 40–70°N. • STT affects NCP with long-range slanted channels followed by upright transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on multiple long‐term observational and reanalysis datasets, this study investigated the characteristics and physical mechanisms of the interdecadal variations in late spring (i.e., May) precipitation (LSP) over the southeastern extension of the Tibetan Plateau (SETP) since 1900. It was revealed that by and large, LSP over the SETP experienced interdecadal decrease during the period preceding 1927, 1962–1988, and 2004 onwards, but saw an increase during the periods of 1928–1961 and 1989–2003. The atmospheric circulations responsible for interdecadal variations in LSP over the SETP were also analysed. These analyses identified significant synergistic impacts of decreased mid‐latitude upstream westerlies and increased low‐latitude monsoonal southerlies over the Central North Bay of Bengal (CNBOB) on interdecadal variations in precipitation, suggesting striking interactions between extratropical eastward cold air and tropical northward warm/humid air. Further observational and modelling evidence suggested that Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) was likely to be a salient oceanic driver for the interdecadal synergy between upstream westerlies and CNBOB monsoonal southerlies. The elevated sea surface temperature anomalies associated with the warm phase of the AMO could spark favourable local atmospheric anomalies, forcing an upper‐tropospheric, planetary‐scale teleconnection emanating from the east of the North Atlantic sector, which may serve as an effective bridge linking the remote AMO signal and the synergy between westerlies and monsoonal southerlies around the SETP on interdecadal timescales. Our findings provided new insights into the understanding of the synergistic roles of westerlies and monsoons in the modulation of interdecadal LSP over the SETP, prior to the peak Asian summer monsoon season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mêdog and Nagqu are two typical regions of the Tibetan Plateau with different geographical locations and climate regimes. These differences may lead to discrepancies in the raindrop size distributions (DSDs) and precipitation microphysical processes between the two regions. This paper investigates discrepancies in the DSDs using disdrometer data obtained during the rainy season in Mêdog and Nagqu. The DSD characteristics are studied under five different rainfall rate categories and two precipitation types (stratiform and convective). For the total datasets, the number concentrations of drops with diameters D > 0.6 (D < 0.6) mm are higher (lower) in Nagqu than in Mêdog. The fitted normalized gamma distributions of the averaged DSDs for the five rainfall rate categories show that Nagqu has a larger (lower) mass-weighted mean diameter Dm (normalized intercept parameter, lgNw) than does Mêdog. The difference in Dm between Nagqu and Mêdog increases with the rainfall rate. Convective clusters in Nagqu could be identified as continental-like, while convective precipitation in Mêdog could be classified as maritime-like. The relationships between the shape factor μ and slope parameter Λ of the gamma distribution model, the radar reflectivity Z, and the rainfall rate R are also derived. Furthermore, the possible causative mechanism for the notable DSD variation between the two regions during the rainy season is illustrated using reanalysis data and automated weather station observations. Cold rain processes are mainly responsible for the lower concentrations of larger drops observed in Nagqu, whereas warm rain prevails in Mêdog, producing abundant small drops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The eastern periphery of the Tibetan Plateau (EPTP) is prone to frequent and severe Persistent Extreme precipitation (PEP) events in summer. Given the complexity of weather systems and the intricate nature of terrain over this region, the generation and development mechanisms of the PEP in the EPTP remain to be determined. In this study, the formation and persistence mechanisms are further explored from the perspective of the general features of large-scale circulations, moisture source diagnosis and the influence of steep topography by using a thermal-dynamical diagnosis method, a mesoscale numerical simulation and a Lagrangian identification of the main moisture sources. The results show that during PEP events, the corresponding atmospheric circulation systems are characterized by an anomalous Rossby wave train at middle levels, an intensified westerly jet, an eastward extension of the South Asian high and a westward extension of the western Pacific subtropical high, all of which are possible to facilitate the development of potential instability and anticyclonic convergence of water vapor transport. The evaporative moisture sources from the Southeastern Asia (SEA), Bay of Bengal (BOB), and Southern China Sea (SCS) are remarkably enhanced during PEP events, with a contribution of 56.44%, which is 28.5% higher than the climatic mean. The further sensitive experiment indicates that the steep terrain could enhance the continuous transport of positive potential vorticity and the downward propagation of upper-level isentropic potential vorticity disturbances, thereby playing an essential role in the triggering and development of PEP events. • The synoptic circulation patterns are identified for PEP events over the EPTP. • The SEA, BOB, and SCS acts as the main enhanced moisture source contributors. • The steep terrain facilitates the transport of potential vorticity disturbances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Haze pollution in recent decades varies largely with both pollutant emissions and meteorological conditions. Using the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) method, we separate these two influences on haze variations in southern China in the time series of haze observations from 1981 to 2011. This helps us to identify the meteorological influence on interannual variation in haze occurrences in southern China and thus observe a teleconnection between the thermal forcing of sea surface temperature (SST) in the central and eastern Pacific and wintertime haze occurrences in southern China (R = − 0.51, p < 0.05). The total haze days in winter is highest among all seasons over southern China and the climotological mean of number of winter haze days is 7.5 days for the region. Compared with the normal winters, the regional mean of the number of haze days in southern China is reduced by ~ 5 days in the winters with above-normal Niño3.4 SST (during El Niño phases), but increased by ~ 4 days in the winters with below-normal Niño3.4 SST (during La Niña phases). In the warm SST winters, the cumulative consequences of strong winds, more precipitation, and a more unstable atmosphere with an "upper colder and lower warmer" vertical pattern leading to more ascendance can all hinder haze formation, whereas in the cold SST winters, opposite meteorological conditions are favorable to haze formation. These meteorological conditions induced by anomalous SST make wintertime haze pollution in southern China vary from year to year to a large extent. This study suggests a strong sensitivity of winter haze occurrences in southern China to the viability of the SST in the central and eastern Pacific. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Lagrangian approach is utilized to identify and compare the sources of water vapor transported to the four subregions of Tibetan Plateau (TP) during the wet season (May–August) of 1980–2016. We focus on the time scale and subseasonal variability of water vapor transport and the relationship between moisture supply and precipitation at the interannual scale. This study finds that: (1) The moisture sources for the four subregions differ significantly in both spatial pattern and magnitude and depend heavily on the combined effects of the summer monsoons, local recycling and the westerlies. (2) The spatial evolution of the moisture sources based on the backward trajectory analysis reveals that, although approximately 80% of the moisture is delivered to the target regions within 1–4 days, the individual subregions feature different transport pathways and associated time scales. (3) The subseasonal migration of the Indian summer monsoon regulates the importance of different moisture sources for the southern TP but not for the northern TP. Additionally, the subseasonal moisture source evolution differs greatly between the southeastern TP and the southwestern TP. (4) The interannual variability of precipitation over the whole TP during summer is negatively correlated with the variation in the moisture transported by the westerlies and is positively related to the moisture conveyed by the Indian summer monsoon for the northern TP and by adjacent moisture transport for the southern TP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The Sichuan Basin (SB), covering 260,000 km2 immediately to the east of the Tibetan Plateau (TP) with a large drop exceeding 3000 m in elevation over a short horizontal distance, is a region of high haze pollution in China. The terrain effects of this unique deep basin on haze pollution have not been well investigated. During 14–19 January 2014, heavy haze pollution engulfed the SB with high PM 2.5 concentrations. By using the WRF-Chem model, the topographic effects on haze pollution in the SB and the underlying mechanisms were investigated by two sets of simulation with and without the basin topography. The simulation results show that the SB topography lead to an increase of 48 μg m−3 in the basin-averaged surface PM 2.5 contributing about 44% to the PM 2.5 concentrations during heavy haze pollution, indicating an important role of the basin topography in worsening air pollution. The surface PM 2.5 level enhancements varied spatially from 0 to 30 μg m−3 in the eastern basin to 60–120 μg m−3 in the western basin, respectively corresponding to 0–20% and 50–70% relative to the concentrations simulated without the SB topographic condition, reflecting the stronger topographic effect of the TP in the western SB. The topographic effects intensify the haze pollution via reducing wind speed, raising air temperature and humidity in the lower troposphere, as well as dropping boundary layer height in the basin. Resulted from the impact of TP on mid-latitude westerly winds, a typical leeside vortex of immediately upstream TP over the basin was developed with accentuating PM 2.5 accumulations in the basin, implying a strong influence of TP on air quality in the SB. Highlights • An important role of the basin topography in worsening haze pollution. • Terrain effects of basin on haze via changing thermal and dynamic structures in atmosphere. • Mechanical and thermal forcing effects of Tibetan Plateau on the downstream air quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Short-term direct effects of aerosols on surface shortwave radiation and its regional difference during heavy haze episodes in January 2013 in China are investigated using the offline Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) - the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ)- second Sun-Edward-Slingo radiative transfer (SES2) model system. The aerosol concentrations are first generated using the WRF-CMAQ model simulations and then corrected based on the observed concentrations of PM 10 and PM 2.5 . The atmospheric profile data produced by the WRF model and the corrected aerosol concentrations are used as inputs to the SES2 model to calculate the global horizontal irradiance (GHI) and direct solar irradiance (DIR) at the surface for a period of heavy haze episodes in January 2013 in China. The effects of aerosol on the GHI and DIR at the surface are then analyzed. The modeled radiation is evaluated against the observations first and the results show some improvement due to the correction for the aerosol concentrations. The aerosol shortwave radiative effects are determined by the difference between the model calculations with and without the inclusion of aerosols. It is found that the short-term aerosol radiative impacts during heavy haze days are very large, range between 100 and 500 W m -2 . The aerosol concentrations have a large spatial variation with the highest concentration occurring in the areas of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, which causes a large difference in the radiative effect nation wide. In addition to the total concentration, the aerosol vertical distributions s also vary from the north to south in China and this leads to a significant difference in radiative effect even when the PM 10 concentration is similar at three regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Containing elevated topography, the Tibetan Plateau (TP) has significant thermodynamic effects for regional environment and climate change, where understanding energy and water exchange processes (EWEP) is an important prerequisite. However, estimation of the exact spatiotemporal variability of the land-atmosphere energy and water exchange over heterogeneous landscape of the TP remains a big challenge for scientific community. Focused on the above scientific question, a series of atmospheric scientific experiments and research programs have been conducted since the 1960s, quantitatively evaluating both the spatial distribution and the multi-timescale variation of EWEP via observation, remote sensing, and numerical simulation. Based on the three main approaches, the major advances on EWEP over the past 25 years are systematically summarized in this work. Observations reveal distinct characteristics of the energy balance components and micrometeorological parameters. The roughness length for momentum is generally one order of magnitude higher than that for heat, and a distinct diurnal cycle of the excess resistance for heat transfer (kB −1) is captured. These progresses via observations further contributed to the improvement of remote sensing parameterization and numerical simulation of EWEP, e.g., the daily sensible heat flux can be overestimated by approximately 50% using a fixed kB −1, while this overestimation can be mitigated with the observation-captured diurnal variation in kB −1 taken into consideration. Moreover, multisource (multispectral, thermal, and microwave) satellite data have been successfully used to retrieve key land–atmosphere properties, which offers a feasible way to monitor EWEP at different spatiotemporal scales: A decreasing trend of sensible heat flux and an increasing trend of latent heat flux over the TP from 2001 to 2012 were reported. Hourly data of land surface heat fluxes over the entire TP were first obtained, with root mean square errors of 76.6 W m−2 (net radiation flux), 60.3 W m−2 (sensible heat flux), 71.0 W m−2 (latent heat flux) and 37.5 W m−2 (soil heat flux), superior to the previous flux products. The total annual evaporation is approximately 51.7 ± 2.1 km3 year−1 for high-elevation lakes with ice sublimation component accounting for around 10–25%. In addition, different numerical models have been evaluated and improved to study EWEP over heterogeneous land surfaces. The simulation accuracy of land surface temperature and surface energy balance in arid and semiarid areas was improved via an improved heat roughness parameterization scheme in Noah. The sensible heat flux was also effectively improved in the CoLM model by adopting an independent method to determine aerodynamic roughness length. All these results advanced the understanding of different aspects of EWEP over the TP by using in situ measurements, multisource satellite data and numerical modeling. Future studies are recommended to focus on the optimization of the current three-dimensional comprehensive observation system, the development of applicable parameterization schemes and the investigation of EWEP on weather and climate changes over the TP and surrounding regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air quality change is generally driven by two factors: pollutant emissions and meteorology, which are difficult to distinguish via observations. To identify the contribution of meteorological factor to air quality change, an aerosol simulation from 1995 to 2004 with the global air quality model GEM-AQ/EC was designed without year-to-year changes in the anthropogenic aerosol (including sulfate and organic and black carbon) emissions over the 10-year span. To assess the impact of interannual variations of East Asian monsoon (EAM) on air quality change in China, this modeling study focused on the region of central-eastern China (CEC), a typical East Asian monsoon (EAM) region with high anthropogenic aerosol emissions. The simulation analysis showed that the interannual variability in surface aerosols over CEC was driven by fluctuation in meteorological factors associated with EAM changes. Large amplitudes of interannual variability in surface aerosol concentrations reaching 20–30% relative to the 10-year averages were found over southern CEC in summer and over northern CEC in winter. The weakened near-surface winds of EAMs in both summer and winter were significantly correlated with aerosol increases over most areas of CEC. The summer and winter monsoon changes enhance the surface aerosol concentrations with increasing trend rates exceeding 30% and 40% over the southern and northern CEC region, respectively, during the 10 years. The composite analyses of aerosol concentrations in weak and strong monsoon years revealed that positive anomalies in surface aerosol concentrations during weak summer monsoon years were centered over the vast CEC region from the North China Plain to the Sichuan Basin, and the anomaly pattern with “northern higher” and “southern lower” surface aerosol levels was distributed over CEC in weak winter monsoon years. Aerosol washout by summer monsoon rainfall exerted an impact on CEC aerosol distribution in summer; aerosol dry depositions in connection with atmospheric boundary layer conditions resulted in wintertime aerosol variations over CEC. Climate change with regard to EAMs could modulate the interannual variations in aerosols and air quality over CEC by changing near-surface winds, precipitation and atmospheric boundary layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, numerical simulations and observational analyses have been made for the aerosol episode that occurred over the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region in China during 1–3 November 2003. An air quality modeling system that consisted of the mesoscale model MM5, chemical transport model MODELS-3/CMAQ, and air pollutant emission model SMOKE, was employed. Studies have shown that this particulate matter (PM) pollution episode was apparently associated with the activity of tropical cyclone (TC) Melor. Model simulations revealed that Melor spawned this PM episode through dynamic and thermodynamic processes. The strong compensating subsidence induced by Melor''s peripheral circulations created favorable meteorological conditions that enhanced local aerosol pollution. This strong downward motion produced significant adiabatic warming (2–4°C daily) and dramatic drying in the low-level troposphere over the PRD. As a result, the PRD region was blanketed with a dry and warm air layer that strengthened the static stability of the lower troposphere. The descending motion also tended to dramatically lower the heights of the planetary boundary layer (PBL) through its dynamic effect. The fair weather created by this synoptic pattern further intensified the nocturnal temperature inversions through enhanced radiative cooling. All of these factors promoted a stagnant local atmosphere with very light winds near the surface. The horizontal and vertical dispersions of locally emitted aerosol particles were largely suppressed, leading to the accumulation of large amounts of PMs near local emission sources in the PRD region. As Melor drew near, changes in surface winds strengthened the horizontal transport of aerosol particles from inland sources to the area of Hong Kong downstream. This horizontal advection greatly contributed to the high PM10 (particulate matters less than 10μm in diameters) concentrations in Hong Kong. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The planetary boundary layer (PBL) parameterization schemes play a critical role in the weather and climate models, while they describe physical processes associated with the momentum, heat and humidity exchange between land surface and atmosphere. The sensitivity of boundary layer variables to eight PBL parameterization schemes (three non-local and five local closure schemes), available in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, is evaluated over the central Tibetan Plateau with field measurements of the Third Tibetan Plateau atmospheric scientific experiment (TIPEX III) in July. Model results showed acceptable behavior, but no particular scheme produced the best performances for all observation stations and meteorological parameters. All PBL schemes underestimated the surface temperature over the central Tibetan Plateau. The BouLac scheme showed the minimum cold bias of the surface temperature. For the surface energy budget components, it was found that the sensible heat flux and the downward longwave radiation were the main factors causing the lower surface temperature. The sub-grid scale gravity wave drag was added to reduce biases result from unresolved topography over the central Tibetan Plateau. It led to smaller cold bias, causing warmer lower-tropospheric temperature, smaller water vapor content and higher PBL height. The modified model results show more close to the observation. • The BouLac scheme showed the minimum cold bias of the surface temperature among eight PBL schemes. • The surface heat flux and the downward longwave radiation are the main factors causing the lower surface temperature. • The sub-grid scale gravity wave drag improves simulations of temperature over complex mountainous terrain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The correlation characteristics between anomalous changes in summer precipitation on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) and the high-impact areas of global sea-surface temperature (SST) are mainly studied in this paper. The results show that the interdecadal change of the regional "warming-wetting" in China is especially prominent in the northern part of the main body of the QTP, which is therefore identified as the high-value area of precipitation variability. Investigations have revealed that the high-value areas of summer precipitation variability in the northern QTP are significantly correlated with four high-value areas of SST variability, namely the western North Pacific, the western Central Pacific, the Southwest Pacific, and the central Indian Ocean. In these four high-impact areas, a synchronous tendency is found in the SST increase and sea-surface specific humidity. Through the tracking analysis of the correlated vectors of the water vapor source for the warming-wetting of the QTP, it further confirms that the four high-value areas of SST variability in the Indo-Pacific Ocean are the major impact sources of water vapor transport for the warming-wetting of the QTP. Moreover, the comparison of the characteristics of various interdecadal global water vapor transport circulations show that from 1991 to 2020, the trans-equatorial water vapor transport from the Southern Hemisphere witnessed a notable increase, which furthermore suggests that the interdecadal change of SST increase in the Southwest Pacific and central Indian Ocean is the key reason for the warming-wetting of the QTP. In addition, a comprehensive image of high-impact marine water vapor sources for modulating the warming-wetting tendency in the QTP is proposed., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

From 2013 to 2017, with the implementation of the toughest-ever clean air policy in China, significant declines in fine particle (PM 2.5 ) concentrations occurred nationwide. Here we estimate the drivers of the improved PM 2.5 air quality and the associated health benefits in China from 2013 to 2017 based on a measure-specific integrated evaluation approach, which combines a bottom-up emission inventory, a chemical transport model, and epidemiological exposure-response functions. The estimated national population-weighted annual mean PM 2.5 concentrations decreased from 61.8 (95%CI: 53.3-70.0) to 42.0 µg/m 3 (95% CI: 35.7-48.6) in 5 y, with dominant contributions from anthropogenic emission abatements. Although interannual meteorological variations could significantly alter PM 2.5 concentrations, the corresponding effects on the 5-y trends were relatively small. The measure-by-measure evaluation indicated that strengthening industrial emission standards (power plants and emission-intensive industrial sectors), upgrades on industrial boilers, phasing out outdated industrial capacities, and promoting clean fuels in the residential sector were major effective measures in reducing PM 2.5 pollution and health burdens. These measures were estimated to contribute to 6.6- (95% CI: 5.9-7.1), 4.4- (95% CI: 3.8-4.9), 2.8- (95% CI: 2.5-3.0), and 2.2- (95% CI: 2.0-2.5) µg/m 3 declines in the national PM 2.5 concentration in 2017, respectively, and further reduced PM 2.5 -attributable excess deaths by 0.37 million (95% CI: 0.35-0.39), or 92% of the total avoided deaths. Our study confirms the effectiveness of China's recent clean air actions, and the measure-by-measure evaluation provides insights into future clean air policy making in China and in other developing and polluting countries., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interest., (Copyright © 2019 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.)

The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region in China suffers from heavy air pollution, especially in heating period. SO 2 and NO 2 are two of the key primary gaseous pollutants emitted by coal burning. The increase in air pollution caused by heating in the south-central part of the BTH region is higher than that in the northern part. And the distribution of SO 2 and NO 2 increment has significant differences. In this work, SO 2 and NO 2 emissions over the BTH region are determined using an adaptive "nudging" constrained method and a variational processing technique based on Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) satellite data and surface measurement data collected in 2015. The application of the method can provide reliable, up-to-date and high-resolution mapping of sources of SO 2 and NO 2 emissions. These SO 2 and NO 2 emissions reflect the spatial differences in point and area sources in urban agglomerations and rural areas under different meteorological conditions during the non-heating and heating seasons. The intensity and influence of SO 2 and NO 2 emissions, particularly those of SO 2 , are significantly greater during the heating season than those during the non-heating season. Winter increases in SO 2 emissions in the northern areas of the BTH region are larger than those in the southern part. In addition, significant increases in SO 2 emissions occur mainly in suburban and rural areas, while those of NO 2 emissions mainly occur in urban agglomerations. In the major urban areas, where coal has been replaced by natural gas or electric power for heating, winter heating causes much smaller increases in SO 2 emissions than in other areas. The large amounts of bulk coal consumption in the suburban and rural areas could cause significant regional air pollution. Clear increases in SO 2 and NO 2 emissions in winter occur along a belt from southern Beijing to Langfang, Baoding, Shijiazhuang and Xingtai, which is consistent with a special "quasi-steady" air pollutant transport belt in the region. All above results show that the adaptive "nudging" constrained emission method could be an effective tool for air pollution control during certain seasons., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)