Rüthrich, F.; Thies, B.; Reudenbach, C. & Bendix, J. (2015): <b>Lake effects on cloud dynamics on the Tibetan Plateau.</b>. <i>Journal of Climate</i> <b>28</b>, 9080-9104.
Resource Description
Title:
Lake effects on cloud dynamics on the Tibetan Plateau.
FOR816dw ID:
156
Publication Date:
2015-01-01
License and Usage Rights:
PAK 823-825 data user agreement. (www.lcrs.de/dataagreementp3.do)
email:
bendix <at> staff.uni-marburg.de
Deutschhausstraße 12
Room No. 02 A 48
35032 Marburg
Faculty of Geography
Germany
Abstract:
The scarcity of meteorological observations has hitherto prevented spatially comprehensive and complete<br/>
assessments on regional and local-scale atmospheric processes such as breeze systems on the Tibetan Plateau<br/>
(TiP). Because of the high abundance of lakes, the steep topography, and the intense insolation of the TiP,<br/>
lake breeze and land breeze systems might, however, contribute substantially to the local climatic and hydrological<br/>
variability. The presented study aims at unveiling the influence of the lake effect over the whole TiP<br/>
by using a novel high-mountain satellite cloud product, based on Meteosat Indian Ocean Data Coverage<br/>
(IODC) data from 1999 to 2012, focusing on 70 lake systems larger than 72 km2<br/>
. Of particular interest are the<br/>
spatial and interannual variability of lake-related cloud dynamics during boreal summer and autumn. For<br/>
both seasons, a significant effect of lakes on cloudiness is shown during the early morning. Its mean strength is<br/>
mainly determined by each basin’s temperature difference between lake and surroundings. For boreal<br/>
summer the large-scale influences of tropical and extratropical circulation pattern on the interannual variability<br/>
of the lake effect are also investigated. The results show that the Arctic and North Atlantic Oscillations<br/>
(AO and NAO) inhibit convective activity above lakes in the northern and central-eastern domain. A positive<br/>
polarity of the Southern Oscillation index (SOI), in contrast, is in phase with enhanced convective activity.<br/>
The variability of the Indian summer monsoon circulation does not affect cloud dynamics at more than two<br/>
locations. Case studies are employed to illustrate interactions between cloud activity and the SOI and NAO.<br/>
For this purpose satellite data are combined with the modeled 10 km 3 10 km High Asia Refined Analysis<br/>
dataset on a daily basis.
