Impact of moisture source variation on decadal‐scale changes of precipitation in North China from 1951 to 2010. Issue 2 (18th January 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Jiang, Zhihong; Jiang, Shuai; Shi, Yi; Liu, Zhengyu; Li, Wei; Li, Laurent
• Is Part Of: Journal of geophysical research. Volume 122:Issue 2(2017)
• Page Start: 600
• Page End: 613
• Publication Date: 2017-01-18
• Subjects: Lagrangian trajectory -- decadal‐scale rainfall reduction -- North China -- moisture sources; Atmospheric physics -- Periodicals; Geophysics -- Periodicals; 551.5
• DOI: 10.1002/2016JD025795
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2169-897X

Abstract

Abstract: The Hybrid Single‐Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory platform is employed in this study to simulate trajectories of air parcels in the rainy season in North China during last six decades (1951–2010), with the purpose of investigating moisture sources, their variation, and the eventual relationship with precipitation in North China. Climatological trajectories indicate that moisture in North China originates, respectively, from Eurasia (14.4%), eastern China (10.2%), the Bay of Bengal‐South China Sea (33.8%), the Indian Ocean (10.7%), and the Pacific (30.9%). The spatiotemporal analysis of moisture trajectory based on extended empirical orthogonal function indicates that a decrease of precipitation in North China is caused mainly by a decrease of water vapor sources from the south, the Indian Ocean, the Bay of Bengal, and the South China Sea, which overwhelms an increase of water vapor sources from the North, mainly Eurasia, eastern China, and northern western North Pacific Ocean. In particular, the significant decrease of precipitation in the late 1970s (by 11.6%) is mainly caused by a 10.6% decrease of moisture from all sources. The Bay of Bengal, the South China Sea, and the Indian Ocean are dominant moisture source areas affecting the decadal‐scale variation of precipitation in North China. Key Points: Moisture transport is modeled using 60 years of backward trajectories The decadal variation of precipitation can be attributed to variation of moisture source areas The Bay of Bengal and the South China Sea are major sources for rainfall in North China