Characterizing Long-term Astroclimate Parameters at the Muztagh-Ata Site in the Pamir Plateau with ERA5 and MERRA-2 Data

Abstract

Abstract The Muztagh-Ata site, an excellent high-altitude ground-based astronomical observing site was discovered and monitored in the eastern part of the Pamir Plateau in the southwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China. This site has been systematically monitored using various observational parameters since the spring of 2017. Yet, the site lacks long-term monitoring and statistical characterization of key variables such as: precipitable water vapour (PWV) and air temperature. These factors directly influence whether a site is suitable for hosting large ground-based telescopes across optical, infrared, submillimeter, and millimeter wavelengths in later stages. In this study, we utilized atmospheric reanalysis datasets from the Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2 (MERRA-2) and ERA5, the fifth edition of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). These datasets were combined with local observations from the weather station at the Muztagh-Ata site. Following the validation of ground-based and satellite data, we conducted a comparative analysis of PWV and temperature trends at the Muztagh-Ata site over a period of 24 years. The weighted annual mean nighttime temperature and PWV increase at rates of 0.18 ∼ 0.38 ○C decade−1 and 0.02 ∼ 0.15 mm decade−1, respectively. The nighttime PWV slightly decrease during the winter with rates of −0.01 ∼ −0.03 mm decade−1. This findings reveal that the PWV and temperature variation patterns at the Muztagh-Ata site are consistently stable, particularly in the results derived from the ERA5 dataset. The comprehensive conditions at this site are highly suitable and advantageous for hosting large optical, infrared, submillimeter, and millimeter wavelengths telescope installations.