Abstract
Characteristics of summer (June–August) precipitation over two coastal mountain regions in South Asia (Western Ghats: WG and Myanmar West Coast: MWC) with a focus on topographic impact are analyzed using the 13-year (1998–2010) high spatial resolution (0.05° × 0.05°) version 6 data obtained from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Precipitation Radar (PR). A relationship between precipitation patterns and topography was observed in the coastal mountains. In both the WG and MWC, maximum rainfall along a tight line on the upwind side of the coastal mountains is primarily attributed to rain frequency. However, intense precipitation was observed over the offshore regions. Compared with the WG, deeper and large-scale precipitation systems develop over the MWC, producing more intense rainfall. It is suggested that insufficient humidity deters large-scale convection over the WG, and the atmosphere is sufficiently moist over the MWC.
Highlights
The atmospheric response to orography is one of the most influential factors affecting the spatial and temporal distribution of precipitation around mountainous areas, because mountains alter the flow of air and respond to solar radiation differently than the surrounding atmosphere [1]
This study examines the precipitation characteristics over the coastal mountains of south Asia (Figure 1)
The west coasts of India and Myanmar receive the heaviest precipitation of the south Asian summer monsoon (June–August) [22, 34]
Summary
The atmospheric response to orography is one of the most influential factors affecting the spatial and temporal distribution of precipitation around mountainous areas, because mountains alter the flow of air and respond to solar radiation differently than the surrounding atmosphere [1]. Precipitation in mountainous environments is higher in some regions and lower in others. An important characteristic of precipitation in mountainous areas is its relation to the elevation. The study of spatial patterns of precipitation over mountains is critically important for a range of applications. Landslides are triggered by intense and/or persistent precipitation at particular locations within mountainous terrain [3, 4]. Such studies are important for water-resource and flood-control management, design and planning of various engineering projects [5], and better understanding of land surface-atmosphere interactions [6,7,8]
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