Advances in Earth Science ›› 2022, Vol. 37 ›› Issue (5): 472-483. doi: 10.11867/j.issn.1001-8166.2022.026

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Influence of the Taihang Mountains on the InitiationDevelopmentand Track of a Convective Precipitation System

Yan LI 1( ), Yu WANG 1, Xianyan CHEN 2( )   

  1. 1.Key Laboratory of Meteorological Disaster,Ministry of Education,Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology,Nanjing 210044,China
    2.National Climate Center,China Meteorological Administration,Beijing 100081,China
  • Received:2022-01-23 Revised:2022-02-22 Online:2022-05-10 Published:2022-05-31
  • Contact: Xianyan CHEN E-mail:yanlee@nuist.edu.cn;chenxy@cma.gov.cn
  • About author:LI Yan (1975-), female, Penglai City, Shandong Province, Associate professor. Research areas include short-term convective precipitation and tropical cyclone. E-mail: yanlee@nuist.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    the China Yangtze River Three Gorges Group Company Limited “Assessment of the climatic effects of the Three Gorges Project”(0704182);The National Natural Science Foundation of China “Structure and the impact on tropical cyclone intensity and intensity change”(41775058)

Yan LI, Yu WANG, Xianyan CHEN. Influence of the Taihang Mountains on the InitiationDevelopmentand Track of a Convective Precipitation System[J]. Advances in Earth Science, 2022, 37(5): 472-483.

On May 22, 2017, strong convective precipitation occurred at an elevation of 200-800 m on the foot of the Taihang Mountains, which was controlled by a 500-hPa cold trough, 850-hPa shear line, cold front, and mesoscale convergence line. The effects of topography on the initiation, development, and tracking of convective systems were analyzed based on the results of high-resolution numerical simulations using the WRF model. The results show that a topographic convergence zone was formed under the influence of solar radiation on the mountain-plain land surface. The cold front strengthened the topographic convergence zone and triggered convective clusters from the convergence zone. The results also showed that the convective clusters moved along the orientation of the local topography, where the local slope was steeper. The intensity of the convective clusters was closely related to the Mountain-Plains Solenoid (MPS) on the east side of the Taihang Mountains. First, the low-level easterly anomaly of the MPS coupled with the local terrain enhanced uplift near the foot of the Taihang Mountains. Second, the easterly flow intensified the water vapor transportation from the eastern plain. The large amount of water vapor carried by the MPS-induced easterly wind was forced to ascend due to topographic obstruction; therefore, convective cells developed. The results suggest that the slope gradient and slope aspect of the local terrain played a key role in the initiation, maintenance, as well as the track of the convective clusters along the eastern foothills of the Taihang Mountains. This analysis contributes to the understanding of the development of convective precipitation systems on the eastern slope of the Taihang Mountains and forecasting short-term heavy rainfall events.

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