Genesis of Tibetan Plateau Vortex: Roles of Surface Diabatic and Atmospheric Condensational Latent Heating

Abstract

AbstractNumerical simulations of a nighttime-generated Tibetan Plateau vortex (TPV) are conducted using the advanced Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model. It is found that the nighttime TPV forms as a result of the merging of convections. Although the WRF Model can reproduce the genesis of the nighttime TPV well, colder and drier biases in the lower atmosphere and drier biases in the upper atmosphere are still presented, thus degrading the simulation performance. Intercomparisons among the experiments indicate that the simulations are more sensitive to land surface schemes than to cloud microphysics schemes. The development of convection is more favorable when daytime surface diabatic heating is vigorous. Surface diabatic heating during daytime plays a dominant role in the development of daytime convection and the genesis of nighttime TPV. Further diagnosis of the PV budget reveals that the obvious increase in PV in the lower atmosphere is associated with the evidently strengthened cyclonic vorticity during TPV genesis. This could be attributed to the increased vertical component of net cross-boundary PV fluxes during the merging of convections as well as the significant positive contribution of diabatic heating effects in the lower atmosphere. Therefore, strong daytime surface diabatic heating, which is essential to convection development, could provide a favorable condition for nighttime TPV genesis. Overall results illuminate the complicated process of TPV genesis.