Microphysical Characteristics of Summer Precipitation over the Taklamakan Desert Based on GPM-DPR Data from 2014 to 2023
Precipitation events have been occurring more frequently in the hyper-arid region of the Taklamakan Desert (TD) under recent climate change. However, in this water-limited environment, the microphysical characteristics of precipitation, as well as their link to rainfall intensity, remain unclear. To...
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Atmosphere |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/16/4/354 |
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| Summary: | Precipitation events have been occurring more frequently in the hyper-arid region of the Taklamakan Desert (TD) under recent climate change. However, in this water-limited environment, the microphysical characteristics of precipitation, as well as their link to rainfall intensity, remain unclear. To address this, this study utilizes dual-frequency precipitation radar (DPR) data of the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) satellite from 2014 to 2023 to analyze the microphysical characteristics of different precipitation types (stratiform and convective) in the TD during the summer. The results show that liquid water path (LWP) is a key factor influencing precipitation type: when LWP is insufficient, stratiform precipitation is more likely to occur (84.1%), while convective precipitation is difficult to occur (15.9%). Microphysical process analysis indicates that in convective precipitation, abundant low-level moisture leads to the growth of liquid particles primarily through the collision–coalescence process (59.7%), resulting in larger raindrop diameters (1.7 mm) and lower concentrations (31.9 mm<sup>−1</sup> m<sup>−3</sup>). In contrast, stratiform precipitation, with limited LWP, primarily involves the melting and breaking-up of high-level ice-phase particles, leading to smaller raindrop diameters (1.2 mm) and higher concentrations (34.3 mm<sup>−1</sup> m<sup>−3</sup>). The warm rain process plays a significant role in raindrop formation in both types of precipitation. The greater (lesser) the amount of LWP, the larger (smaller) the contribution of collision–coalescence (break-up) processes, and the larger (smaller) the raindrop diameter and precipitation intensity. |
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| ISSN: | 2073-4433 |