Effects of fine terrain complexity on cloud and precipitation changes over the Tibetan Plateau: a modeling study
Abstract Inaccurate characterization of complex topography leads to the wet bias in climate models, particularly affecting terrain effects in regions like the Tibetan Plateau (TP). This study utilizes the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model with multiple terrain datasets and introduces the...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-01-01
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| Series: | npj Climate and Atmospheric Science |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-025-00907-2 |
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| author | Kai Yang Jinghua Chen Tianliang Zhao Chunsong Lu Xiangde Xu Yuehan Luo Qingjian Yang Chenghao Tan Weikang Fu Ziyue Wang |
| author_facet | Kai Yang Jinghua Chen Tianliang Zhao Chunsong Lu Xiangde Xu Yuehan Luo Qingjian Yang Chenghao Tan Weikang Fu Ziyue Wang |
| author_sort | Kai Yang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Inaccurate characterization of complex topography leads to the wet bias in climate models, particularly affecting terrain effects in regions like the Tibetan Plateau (TP). This study utilizes the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model with multiple terrain datasets and introduces the terrain complexity index (TCI) to quantify the degree of terrain changes, aiming to evaluate how terrain complexity affects the cloud and precipitation processes over the TP. The results indicate that fine terrain complexity primarily causes earlier cloud formation and precipitation, resulting in more heavy precipitation on the southern slope of the TP (SSTP) and more light precipitation on the TP platform. The structure of moisture transport and microphysical processes further reveals that this promotes the formation of more medium and high clouds, increasing the proportion of solid precipitation over the SSTP. Over the TP platform, the restriction of medium and high cloud development with enhancing the proportion of low clouds for more liquid precipitation. These findings deepen the understanding of the TP’s complex terrain effect on cloud and precipitation changes in the Asian water cycle. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0a539eb5b2a04e4087a27e8845b6a734 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2397-3722 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | npj Climate and Atmospheric Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-0a539eb5b2a04e4087a27e8845b6a7342025-01-19T12:16:09ZengNature Portfolionpj Climate and Atmospheric Science2397-37222025-01-018111710.1038/s41612-025-00907-2Effects of fine terrain complexity on cloud and precipitation changes over the Tibetan Plateau: a modeling studyKai Yang0Jinghua Chen1Tianliang Zhao2Chunsong Lu3Xiangde Xu4Yuehan Luo5Qingjian Yang6Chenghao Tan7Weikang Fu8Ziyue Wang9Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters, China Meteorological Administration Aerosol-Cloud and Precipitation Key Laboratory, Nanjing University of Information Science & TechnologyCollaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters, China Meteorological Administration Aerosol-Cloud and Precipitation Key Laboratory, Nanjing University of Information Science & TechnologyCollaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters, China Meteorological Administration Aerosol-Cloud and Precipitation Key Laboratory, Nanjing University of Information Science & TechnologyCollaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters, China Meteorological Administration Aerosol-Cloud and Precipitation Key Laboratory, Nanjing University of Information Science & TechnologyState Key Laboratory of Severe Weather, Chinese Academy of Meteorological SciencesCollaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters, China Meteorological Administration Aerosol-Cloud and Precipitation Key Laboratory, Nanjing University of Information Science & TechnologyCollaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters, China Meteorological Administration Aerosol-Cloud and Precipitation Key Laboratory, Nanjing University of Information Science & TechnologyState Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of SciencesCollaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters, China Meteorological Administration Aerosol-Cloud and Precipitation Key Laboratory, Nanjing University of Information Science & TechnologyZhejiang Institute of Meteorological ScienceAbstract Inaccurate characterization of complex topography leads to the wet bias in climate models, particularly affecting terrain effects in regions like the Tibetan Plateau (TP). This study utilizes the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model with multiple terrain datasets and introduces the terrain complexity index (TCI) to quantify the degree of terrain changes, aiming to evaluate how terrain complexity affects the cloud and precipitation processes over the TP. The results indicate that fine terrain complexity primarily causes earlier cloud formation and precipitation, resulting in more heavy precipitation on the southern slope of the TP (SSTP) and more light precipitation on the TP platform. The structure of moisture transport and microphysical processes further reveals that this promotes the formation of more medium and high clouds, increasing the proportion of solid precipitation over the SSTP. Over the TP platform, the restriction of medium and high cloud development with enhancing the proportion of low clouds for more liquid precipitation. These findings deepen the understanding of the TP’s complex terrain effect on cloud and precipitation changes in the Asian water cycle.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-025-00907-2 |
| spellingShingle | Kai Yang Jinghua Chen Tianliang Zhao Chunsong Lu Xiangde Xu Yuehan Luo Qingjian Yang Chenghao Tan Weikang Fu Ziyue Wang Effects of fine terrain complexity on cloud and precipitation changes over the Tibetan Plateau: a modeling study npj Climate and Atmospheric Science |
| title | Effects of fine terrain complexity on cloud and precipitation changes over the Tibetan Plateau: a modeling study |
| title_full | Effects of fine terrain complexity on cloud and precipitation changes over the Tibetan Plateau: a modeling study |
| title_fullStr | Effects of fine terrain complexity on cloud and precipitation changes over the Tibetan Plateau: a modeling study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of fine terrain complexity on cloud and precipitation changes over the Tibetan Plateau: a modeling study |
| title_short | Effects of fine terrain complexity on cloud and precipitation changes over the Tibetan Plateau: a modeling study |
| title_sort | effects of fine terrain complexity on cloud and precipitation changes over the tibetan plateau a modeling study |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-025-00907-2 |
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