The entrainment zone (EZ) governs the exchange of heat, momentum, and mass between the mixed layer and free atmosphere, shaping dry convective boundary layer (CBL) evolution. Although dry CBL depth (z i) is a fundamental dynamical scale, how it regulates entrainment under different geostrophic winds (U g) and stratification has not been systematically examined. A series of large-eddy simulations (LES) is employed to address this gap. The main findings are as follows. (a) Regardless of z i, wind shear plays a dual role in entrainment dynamics: reducing heat transport and entrainment efficiency, suppressing entrainment, limiting CBL growth, and lowering entrainment heat flux (delta Q) under weak winds. Once wind shear exceeds a threshold, substantially enhanced turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) above the mid-entrainment layer strengthens entrainment, promoting the growth of delta Q and z i. (b) The deepening of the z i weakens shear within the EZ, suppressing entrainment under strong U g. Consequently, differences between strong-wind and calm conditions in delta Q, z i, and other key parameters diminish. (c) The discrepancy between LES and the shear-free zero-order model grows with z i; however, for shallow CBL with moderate shear, the model remains valid. (d) The increase in delta Q and entrainment heat flux ratio with z i under strong surface heating and moderate U g likely arises from more vigorous free convection in a deeper CBL. (e) The nondimensional EZ thickness decreases with z i, as the lower EZ portion ratio remains nearly constant and the upper part ratio shrinks. These findings clarify the dependence of entrainment on z i in a sheared dry CBL.
Surface and near-surface wind speeds, critical factors for dust emission, are often overestimated in desert regions by models, leading to exaggerated predictions of sandstorm extent and dust concentration. This study implements a new turbulent orographic form drag (TOFD) parameterization scheme using 30-m-resolution terrain data in the WRF-Chem model. Over a 1-month simulation, this scheme reduced the overestimated surface wind speed by 45%. Compared with observations from 41 meteorological stations and one radio-sounding station in the Taklimakan Desert, it also decreased the root mean square errors for surface and near-surface winds by about 20% and 5%, respectively. Furthermore, the 30-day simulation showed a 31% reduction in PM 10 RMSE and a better-matched aerosol optical depth distribution. The results demonstrate that the novel TOFD scheme, which utilizes high-resolution terrain data, effectively resolves dunes and accurately accounts for the drag of small dunes on the near-surface atmosphere in deserts.
An orographically generated low-level jet (OGLJ) and asymmetric mountain profile triggered rare and severe downslope windstorms (DSWSs) over the southern slope of the Tianshan Mountains in northwest China in August 2019. Based on the Final Operational Global Analysis (FNL) data, observations from ground-based meteorological stations, and high-resolution Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF) simulation, this study aimed to understand the mesoscale features and triggering mechanisms of this event. The results show that during the intrusion of a cold air mass into China, Tianshan acted as a topographic barrier, causing significant damming on its northern flank, which in turn led to the formation of a pressure gradient extending from the surface to the mid-lower troposphere across the mountain range. Driven by the strong pressure gradient, air flow was funneled southeastward through the Tianshan Canyon, forming OGLJs due to funneling. As the airflow passed through the canyon, it encountered the asymmetric mountain, which has a gentle northern slope and a steep southern slope, which further excited gravity waves. The jet stream propagated with gravity waves and descended on the leeward slope of the mountains. This process facilitated the downward transport of momentum to the surface and triggered the DSWSs. Stronger wind speeds were observed in regions with more pronounced topographic asymmetry. The state of atmospheric stratification stability during strong winds is manifested as follows: on the windward slope, a stable layer persisted at 2500-3000 m AGL, while on the leeward slope, a stronger and lower-level stable layer persisted 500-1000 m AGL. Such a state is conducive to the development and enhancement of downslope storms on the leeward slope. The research results clarify the mesoscale characteristics and triggering mechanisms of downslope storms on the leeward slope under the combined action of topographic canyon and asymmetric mountain profile in the context of synoptic-scale circulation. In particular, the vertical structure of air flow over mountains clearly depicts the three-dimensional structure of the low-level jet formed and accelerated by the funnel effect and the sinking of gravity waves on the leeward slope. These research results are helpful for deepening the understanding of the mechanism of DSWSs and contribute to improve weather warnings of these events.
Accurate dust-storm monitoring is vital in arid regions. This study details the first field deployment of a 94 GHz W-band radar in the Taklamakan Desert to retrieve height-resolved microphysical parameters, including reflectivity, two-way attenuation, and log-normal particle-size distribution. Applying Rayleigh scattering theory, we demonstrate that absorption dominates electromagnetic attenuation at W-band frequencies. Two attenuation estimation methods are introduced, showing low-altitude attenuation reaches 4.5 dB/km during low visibility. To improve weak echo extraction, we optimized Doppler spectrum signal processing by integrating Hildebrand-Sekhon iterative denoising with Kolmogorov-Smirnov testing for robust noise estimation. Height-based attenuation correction effectively recovered near-ground echo strength (up to 10 dBZ), revealing stratified vertical dust transport between 500 and 1000 m. These findings highlight the W-band radar's capability for quantitative dust-storm profiling and microphysical property inversion.
The dune density is an important parameter for representing the characteristics of desert geomorphology, providing a precise depiction of the undulating topography of the desert. Owing to the limitations of estimation methods and data availability, accurately quantifying dune density has posed a significant challenge; in response to this issue, we propose an innovative model to estimate dune density using a dune vertex search combined with four-directional orographic spectral decomposition. This study reveals several key insights: (1) Taklimakan Desert distributes approximately 5.31 × 107 dunes, with a linear regression fit R2 of 0.79 between the estimated and observed values. The average absolute error and root mean square error are calculated as 25.61 n/km2 and 30.48 n/km2, respectively. (2) The distribution of dune density across the eastern, northeastern, southern, and western parts of the Taklimakan Desert is relatively lower, while there is higher dune density in the central and northern areas. (3) The observation data constructed using the improved YOLOv8s algorithm and remote sensing imagery effectively validate the estimation results of dune density. The new algorithm demonstrates a high level of accuracy in estimating sand dune density, thereby providing crucial parameters for sub-grid orographic parameterization in desert regions. Additionally, its application potential in dust modeling appears promising.
Due to the arid and sandy surface of the Taklimakan Desert (TD) in China, the turbulence structure and vertical distribution of ozone exhibit unique and complex characteristics. However, few studies have focused on these issues. To reveal the variation characteristics of summertime atmospheric turbulence and ozone concentration over the TD, we conducted joint detection experiments in July 2016 and July 2021 at Tazhong in the hinterland of the TD using an eddy covariance detection system, a GPS (Global Positioning System) sounding system, and a meteorological gradient tower. Using methods such as statistical analysis, nonlinear fitting, and Fast Fourier Transform, this study analyzed and processed parameters including temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, turbulence parameters, turbulence spectra, and ozone concentration. The high average temperature is accompanied by low relative humidity over the TD, showing a negative correlation between the two. The temperature of the 10.0-cm-deep sand layer lags the near-surface air temperature by nearly 4 h. From 09:30 to 21:00 (Beijing Time), under conditions where the sensible heat flux is positive but stability parameter (z/L, where z is the height and L is the Obukhov length) is negative, the atmosphere is heated by the land surface, with the occurrence of unstable stratification; however, the conditions are the opposite (sensible heat flux is negative and z/L is positive) after 22:00, which are accompanied with the cooling of the surface radiation, occurrence of temperature inversion in the lower atmosphere, and stable stratification. A positive correlation is identified between the diurnal variation of turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) and the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) height, with significant contributions from both the buoyancy and shear terms during the daytime. Under unstable stratification, the normalized standard deviations of the three-dimensional wind speed, temperature, and humidity conform to the Monin–Obukhov Similarity Theory (MOST). As the stability parameter z/L transitions from strongly unstable to strongly stable, the energy of the dimensionless turbulent velocity spectra gradually decreases and conforms to the −2/3 power law within the inertial subrange. In the hinterland of the TD, the summertime tropospheric ozone concentration remains below approximately 0.70×10−6 (volume concentration). Above the troposphere, within the range of 16,500.0–30,000.0 m, a significant increasing trend is identified in the ozone concentration with altitude. At an altitude of 30,000.0 m, the maximum ozone concentration can reach up to 7.50×10−6. The research findings provide both theoretical and data foundations for future in-depth studies of turbulent motion and ozone concentration distribution in the TD, as well as in the similar areas around the world.
The anomalous hydrothermal conditions during growing seasons, i.e. less precipitation and high temperature, could induce an unstable water resource supply and pose great threats to regional agro-pastoral production, particularly in water-scarce drylands. Owing to the biases in the simulations of global climate models, quantifying the anthropogenic influences on such high-impact hot–dry extremes and future risks in the arid and semi-arid areas remains challenging. Based on CN05.1 observations and statistically downscaled simulations from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6, we conducted a comprehensive attribution and projection on the 2022- and 2023-like growing-season hot–dry extremes in Northwest China (NWC). Observations reveal that NWC experienced a fourfold increase in the occurrence of anomalously hot–dry growing seasons during 1991–2023 relative to that in 1961–1990. Attribution indicates that anthropogenic forcings have doubled/tripled the likelihood of 2022/2023-like hot–dry growing seasons in NWC largely due to human-induced warming. NWC is expected to experience increasingly hot growing seasons but with slight precipitation changes in the 21st century under the intermediate greenhouse gas emission (SSP2-4.5) scenario. The likelihood of 2022/2023-like hot–dry growing seasons in NWC will be more than 1–5 times that in the present-day (1991–2020), which is still dominated by rising temperature. To alleviate the stress of hot–dry growing seasons on agro-pastoral systems, we underscore the urgency of developing effective adaptation and mitigation strategies for water resource management in water-limited drylands.
Aerosol effects upon ice clouds remain the most considerable uncertainty of the global climate forcing uncertainties. Dust aerosol and ice cloud properties over Tarim Basin (TB), China, from 2007 to 2021 are analyzed based on the simultaneously retrieved multiple satellite observations. The present study examines the variations and potential interaction mechanisms among different ice clouds and aerosol parameters such as ice water content (IWC), ice water path (IWP), aerosol extinction coefficient (EC), and aerosol optical depth (AOD). The results showed a strong agreement between IWC and EC with the steeper vertical variation and the maximum median in summer. The interannual variability of IWC, IWP, and AOD bear reasonable natural climate variability with steady changes and showed a significant seasonal cycle with IWC and IWP. Whereas the AOD median depicted maximum in the summer or spring season. Also, the correlation studies are presented utilizing the satellite data where the correlation coefficient is a maximum of 0.65 for AOD-OMI (Ozone Monitoring Instrument) with IWP-MLS (Microwave Limb Sounder), suggest AOD has a positive effect on the formation of ice clouds. Above results of ice cloud and dust aerosol variations, which could be partially attributed to the Taklamakan Desert dominate the dust aerosols in TB, which occurred roughly during the same seasons. This is affected by weather conditions and primarily drives the seasonal and annual cycle behavior of ice cloud and dust aerosol over the region. Multi-source satellite detection can capture the main characteristic changes of ice clouds and dust aerosol and provide adequate observational facts in this study. Therefore, the present study may provide valuable complementary or alternative information for ice clouds, dust aerosol, and their interaction research in the troposphere or upper troposphere. It may also offer more consistent input for climate research on the TB area in China.
利用2017、2019年7月塔克拉玛干沙漠腹地GPS探空观测数据和地面观测资料,对比分析了沙漠腹地夏季晴天和沙尘暴天气大气边界层结构变化特征。结果表明:晴天和沙尘暴天气大气边界层结构显著不同,两者的位温、风速和比湿垂直分布规律差异较大。晴天大气边界层各气象要素垂直分布较为均一,形成深厚的对流边界层,高度可达5000m,夜间稳定边界层一般在500m左右。沙尘暴天气边界层内各气象要素垂直分布变化较大,白天对流边界层在1500m左右,而夜间稳定边界层在1000m左右。在陆面过程中,晴天净辐射强烈,地表增温迅速,近地层感热通量能量充足,为对流运动和湍流运动提供了热力条件,是形成深厚的对流边界层主要因素。而沙尘暴天气因云和沙尘颗粒的影响,阻挡了到达地表的辐射轻度,减弱了外部的热力条件,同时大尺度天气系统冷平流提供了充足的动力条件,迫使低空2000m高度范围的温度减小,风速增大,并携带大量的水汽,导致气象要素垂直分布特征改变,并最终形成了沙尘暴天气独特的大气边界层结构特征。
Stable boundary layer height (SBLH) is an important parameter to characterize the characteristics and vertical structure of the nocturnal lower atmosphere at night. The distribution of SBLH has obvious spatial and temporal differences, and there are many meteorological factors affecting the SBLH, but at present, there are few quantitative studies on the effects of near-surface meteorological factors on the SBLH in the desert hinterland. This study was based on GPS sounding balloon data, near-surface meteorological observation data, and ERA5 data from Tazhong Station (TZ) in the Taklamakan Desert (TD) collected in July 2017, 2019, and 2021. The variation characteristics of the SBLH and its relationship with near-surface meteorological factors are described. We quantitatively analyzed the degree of influence of near-surface meteorological factors affecting the SBLH and verified it using a model. The study also elucidates the possible formation mechanism of the SBLH in the TD hinterland. The SBLH in the TD hinterland trended upward in July 2017, 2019, and 2021, which is consistent with the changes in meteorological factors, according to the near-surface meteorological observation and ERA5 data. Therefore, we think that an inherent connection exists between near-surface meteorological factors and the SBLH. The results of correlation analysis show that complex internal connections and interactions exist among the meteorological factors near the ground; some thermal, dynamic, and other meteorological factors strongly correlate with the SBLH. Having established the change in SBLH (ΔSBLH) and in major thermal, dynamic, and other meteorological factors (Δ), the linear regression equation between them revealed that near-surface meteorological factors can affect the SBLH. The dynamic factors have a stronger influence on the ΔSBLH than thermal and other factors. The results of model validation based on the variable importance projection (VIP) also confirmed that the SBLH in the TD hinterland is jointly affected by dynamic and thermal factors, but the dynamic factors have a stronger impact. The mechanism through which the SBLH forms is relatively complex. At night, surface radiative cooling promotes the formation of a surface inversion layer, and low-level jets strengthen wind shear, reducing atmospheric stability. The combined effects of heat and dynamics play an important role in dynamically shaping the SBLH. This study helps us with accurately predicting and understanding the characteristics of the changes in and the factors influencing the SBLH in the TD hinterland, providing a reference for understanding the mechanism through which the SBLH forms in this area. At the same time, it provides a scientific basis for regional weather and climate simulation, meteorological disaster defense, air quality forecasting, and model parameterization improvement.
Global climate change is becoming increasingly crucial. With the continuous strengthening of environmental supervision and governance in China, the haze (O
The radiative and microphysical effects of aerosol in low-level layers (below 3 km) can have crucial and complicated impacts on modern weather and climate change. The Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) can provide a multiyear global aerosol distribution with high vertical resolution. The newest Level 3 aerosol profile data is used for the period 2007–2021 to analyze the seasonal-averaged vertically distributed aerosol extinction coefficient of different aerosol types over West and East China (WCN and ECN). This has been combined with the Modern Era Retrospective-Analysis for Research (MERRA-2) reanalysis data derived from meteorological variables to investigate their relationship for the study period. The results indicate that the aerosol types in the ECN are dominant with clean marine (CM), polluted continental/smoke (PC) and polluted dust (PD). Whereas, the desert dust (DD) is the main aerosol type found in WCN. In WCN, the vertical profile of DD is overlapped with total aerosol, and the extinction profile of PD is closer to total aerosol in ECN. This is attributed to the different aerosol anthropogenic sources and influence of meteorology. The vertical profile of aerosol presents smoother structure in ECN than in WCN due to more complex atmosphere dynamic. RH is the key meteorological factor that affects the aerosol extinction coefficient. In WCN, DD aerosol is mainly concentrated when the RH is ranged from 25 to 50
A comprehensive and robust dataset of tropospheric aerosol properties is important for understanding the effects of aerosol–radiation feedback on the climate system and reducing the uncertainties of climate models. The “Third Pole” of Earth (Tibetan Plateau, TP) is highly challenging for obtaining long-term in situ aerosol data due to its harsh environmental conditions. Here, we provide the more reliable new vertical aerosol index (AI) parameter from the spaceborne-based lidar CALIOP (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization) on board CALIPSO (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations) for daytime and nighttime to investigate the aerosol's climatology over the TP region during 2007–2020. The calculated vertical AI was derived from the aerosol extinction coefficient (EC), which was rigorously quality-checked and validated for passive satellite sensors (MODIS) and ground-based lidar measurements. Generally, our results demonstrated that there was agreement of the AI dataset with the CALIOP and ground-based lidar. In addition, the results showed that, after removing the low-reliability aerosol target signal, the optimized data can obtain the aerosol characteristics with higher reliability. The data also reveal the patterns and concentrations of high-altitude vertical structure characteristics of the tropospheric aerosol over the TP. They will also help to update and make up the observational aerosol data in the TP. We encourage climate modelling groups to consider new analyses of the AI vertical patterns, comparing the more accurate datasets, with the potential to increase our understanding of the aerosol–cloud interaction (ACI) and aerosol–radiation interaction (ARI) and their climate effects. Data described in this work are available at https://doi.org/10.11888/Atmos.tpdc.300614 (Huang, 2023).
Submesoscale motions may substantially influence similarity relationships within the Stable Boundary Layer (SBL), leading to considerable uncertainty in these relationships. Therefore, we conducted a comparison of similarity relationships within the SBL in the Taklimakan Desert before and after the removal of submesoscale motions, aiming to gain deeper insights into the impacts of submesoscale motions on the similarity relationships. We introduced a method utilizing Discrete Wavelet Transform with orthogonal wavelets to identify and filter out submesoscale motions. By investigating nocturnal observations from June 29 to July 31, 2021, daily from 22:00 to 07:00 local time, we tested and confirmed that submesoscale motions indeed exert a substantial influence on similarity relationships in different ways. After removing submesoscale motions, dimensionless wind velocity standard deviations become more consistent across different averaging periods, with notably higher Correlation Coefficients and lower Root Mean Square Errors. This highlights the effectiveness of the method in eliminating submesoscale motions. Submesoscale motions themselves do not exert a direct and significant influence on the flux–profile relationship for wind speed. It seems the enhanced turbulence intermittency induced by episodic submesoscale motions results in notable deviations from the Businger-Dyer relationship within the strong stable regime. The influence of submesoscale motions on intermittency appears more pronounced as stability increases. Submesoscale motions significantly influence the relationship between turbulence intensity and wind speed. The episodic submesoscale motions appear to be the direct cause for the presence of moderate turbulence intensity at low wind speeds. Horizontal wind velocity variances are mainly influenced by submesoscale motions, while vertical wind variance is predominantly associated with small-scale turbulence. These findings may contribute to a more accurate understanding of the impacts of submesoscale motions on similarity relationships in the SBL and provide genuine and stable similarity relationships of small-scale turbulence for SBL modeling.
The erodibility factor is an essential parameter in the WRF-Chem model that determines the amount of dust emission. However, current models that use erodibility data are assumed static and lack sufficient characterization of dust source regions' highly heterogeneous and dynamic nature. This results in significant errors and uncertainties in the dust simulation. To address this issue, we propose a new approach that involves developing a physically based erodibility dataset using soil moisture, vegetation coverage, soil texture, and land use data. This new dataset covers the entire globe with a 1 km resolution, which can represent dust sources in finer detail. The results of the dust simulations indicated that the new dataset considerably improved the model's overall performance. The evaluation results showed that the root-mean-square error (RMSE) of PM10 simulated with the new erodibility data was reduced by 32.4%, and the correlation coefficient (R) was increased by 82.4% compared to the default data. Additionally, the simulated spatial distribution of aerosol optical depth (AOD) is closer to that of the satellite AOD product. Our new data provide a more accurate description of the erodibility of dust source regions, refine the parameterization of dust emissions in the model, and ultimately improve dust prediction.
To reveal the high-resolution atmospheric and statistical characteristics of haze events within the boundary layer (BL) in different months, this study conducted a combined detection experiment using a wind-profiling radar, a microwave radiometer, and an ambient particulate monitor on 1230 haze events occurring at Xianyang Airport from 2016 to 2021. First, the boundary layer heights (BLHs) of the haze events were calculated using the atmospheric refractive index structure constant, wind direction and speed, and these were verified against reanalysis data from ERA-Interim. Spatial–temporal evolution and statistical characteristics of temperature, and relative humidity and horizontal wind during haze events, were then analyzed. Finally, the relationships between the BLH and AQI (air quality index) and PM2.5 during the haze events were analyzed. The results indicate that the average BLHs during haze events at Xianyang Airport were generally lower than 1000 m. Moreover, the average BLHs in December and January were distributed in the range of 200–600 m, and lower than that in June and July, in a range of 500–1100 m. Furthermore, the maximum value of the average BLH appears at 13:00–15:00. When the temperature was low in the morning, the stratification difference was small and the sensible heat flux between ground and air was still weak, leading to a low BLH value. Meanwhile, when the air quality was poor, the relative humidity was relatively large, and the corresponding AQI and PM2.5 were very large. Subsequently, when the temperature gradually increased with time, the heat flux and the average BLH also gradually increased. Moreover, the relative humidity within the BL decreased, and the corresponding AQI and PM2.5 also gradually decreased, with the corresponding air quality improving accordingly. The results obtained herein provide a key reference for the preparedness of haze events.
As wind shear increases, the quasi-two-dimensional structure of flows becomes more significant in the convective boundary layer (CBL), indicating that wind shear plays an essential role in the variation of the field of atmospheric flow. Therefore, sensitive numerical experiments based on Large Eddy Simulation (LES) techniques were conducted to comprehensively investigate the effects of wind shear on the spatial variations in the velocity and potential temperature (θ) horizontal fields. Under the constant surface heat flux condition, the main findings are summarized. Firstly, in the CBL, the variances of the streamwise velocity (u), cross-stream velocity (v), and θ enhance as wind shear increases, whereas the variance of vertical velocity (w) is insensitive to wind shear. Secondly, in the CBL, with increasing wind shear, low-wavenumber Power Spectrum Densities (PSDs) of u, v, w, and θ increase significantly, suggesting that the increasing wind shear always enhances the large-scale motions of the atmosphere (i.e., low-wavenumber PSD). Therefore, it is more likely that some mesoscale weather processes will be triggered. Thirdly, generally, in the high-wavenumber range, with increasing wind shear, the PSDs of u, v, and θ increase slightly, whereas the PSD of w decreases slightly. This study provides a new perspective for understanding the role of wind shear in the spatial variations of the horizontal fields of meteorological elements under the same conditions of surface heat flux.
The Taklimakan Desert is a typical arid area. Due to the needs of production and life, a total of 2 km2 of constructed green land (hereinafter referred to as CGL) has been formed in the sand dune, resulting in the uniform underlying surface of the desert having been changed, which has led to the change in the near-surface energy distribution pattern and the formation of a local climate of the CGL that is obviously different from that of the desert climate. Therefore, it is necessary to study the varied interval of the threshold of meteorological factors and the regional climate characteristics of the CGL under the background of desert. The main results are as follows. Firstly, from sunrise to noon, the increasing rate of temperature in natural sandy land (hereafter, NSL) was higher than that in CGL, and the opposite results occurred between noon and sunset. The peak temperature of CGL was 2 h later than that of NSL. At night, the temperature at the boundary of the CGL was generally higher than that of the NSL and the central area of the CGL. In addition, the results show that under the combined influence of underlying conditions, local circulation and small terrain, the CGL (middle) daily range of temperature > NSL (west) > CGL (east) > CGL (west). The positive temperature change period of CGL was significantly shorter than that of NSL in all seasons. However, temperature inversion occurred at night in all seasons. The intensity of the temperature inversion was strongest in winter, with a maximum temperature difference of 12.8 °C, followed by autumn, spring, and summer, with a maximum difference of 6.4 °C. Secondly, the wind speed in the daytime was higher than that at night, and the wind speed in NSL was higher than that in CGL. In summer, if the average wind speed of the NSL was quantified as 1.0 m/s, the wind speed lapse rate reached 30% at the boundary of the CGL. Similarly, in the central area of CGL, the wind speed lapse rate reached 71%.