Diurnal variation and the influential factors of precipitation from surface and satellite measurements in Tibet

Abstract

Some new features concerning the diurnal variation of precipitation over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) are revealed from rainfall data acquired by a network of rain gauge stations and estimated by the Climate Precipitation Center Morphing (CMORPH) technique collected during the summer of 2010 and 2011. Maxima in precipitation amount and frequency are associated with the afternoon-to-evening precipitation regime at approximately 60% of the stations in the network. CMORPH data also capture this pattern, but miss the late morning peak that occurs at some stations. The timing of maximum occurrence agrees well with the diurnal cycle of synoptic conditions favouring the development of precipitation over this area. There is no distinct west-to-east propagation of the diurnal cycle, implying that the diurnal cycle is more driven by local effects than by large-scale circulation. It turns out that the diurnal cycle in precipitation frequency depends largely on topography and landscape. The geographical transition in precipitation peak time is distinct from hilly regions (daytime peak) towards lakes and valleys (evening-to-nocturnal peaks). Stations located in mountainous regions (valleys) tend to experience more precipitation in either late morning or early afternoon (late afternoon or evening). Overall, precipitation amount shows a similar topographic dependence, as does the precipitation frequency, suggesting that local-scale effects, such as the mountain valley circulation effect, has a great impact on the diurnal variation in precipitation when large-scale dynamical processes are weak. A possible mechanism for the non-uniform diurnal cycle of precipitation over the TP is proposed. The major conclusion is that plateau-scale synoptic systems, as well as local circulation systems caused by the complex topography, should be taken into account when determining the diurnal variation in precipitation over the TP.