Spatiotemporal Characteristics of Mesoscale Convective Systems in the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration and Their Response to Urbanization
Mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) are major contributors to extreme precipitation in urban agglomerations, exhibiting complex characteristics influenced by large-scale climate variability and local urban processes. This study utilizes a high-resolution MCS database spanning from 2001 to 2020 to in...
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MDPI AG
2025-02-01
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| author | Xinguan Du Tianwen Sun Kyaw Than Oo |
| author_facet | Xinguan Du Tianwen Sun Kyaw Than Oo |
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| description | Mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) are major contributors to extreme precipitation in urban agglomerations, exhibiting complex characteristics influenced by large-scale climate variability and local urban processes. This study utilizes a high-resolution MCS database spanning from 2001 to 2020 to investigate the spatiotemporal variations of MCSs in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) urban agglomeration and assess their response to urbanization. Our analysis reveals significant spatial and temporal differences in MCS activities during the warm season (April to September), including initiation, movement, and lifespan, with notable trends observed over the study period. MCSs are found to contribute substantially to hourly extreme precipitation, accounting for approximately 60%, which exceeds their contribution to total precipitation. Furthermore, the role of MCSs in extreme precipitation has also increased, driven by the intensification of MCS-induced extreme rainfall. Additionally, MCS characteristics exhibit significant regional differences. Urban areas experience more pronounced changes in MCS activity and precipitation compared to the surrounding rural regions. Specifically, urbanization contributes approximately 16% to MCS-related precipitation and 19% to MCS initiation, highlighting its substantial role in enhancing these processes. Moreover, mountainous areas and water bodies surrounding cities show stronger trends in certain MCS characteristics than urban and rural plains. This may be attributed to climatological conditions that favor MCS activity in these regions, as well as the complex interactions between urbanization, topography, and land–sea contrasts. These complicated dynamics warrant further investigation to better understand their implications. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4477ca4e8bf6477b9996cfeac1785759 |
| institution | Kabale University |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-4477ca4e8bf6477b9996cfeac17857592025-08-20T03:43:21ZengMDPI AGAtmosphere2073-44332025-02-0116324510.3390/atmos16030245Spatiotemporal Characteristics of Mesoscale Convective Systems in the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration and Their Response to UrbanizationXinguan Du0Tianwen Sun1Kyaw Than Oo2State Key Laboratory of Climate System Prediction and Risk Management (CPRM)/Key Laboratory of Meteorological Disaster, Ministry of Education (KLME)/Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters (CIC-FEMD), Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, ChinaShaanxi Meteorological Observatory, Xi’an 710014, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Climate System Prediction and Risk Management (CPRM)/Key Laboratory of Meteorological Disaster, Ministry of Education (KLME)/Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters (CIC-FEMD), Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, ChinaMesoscale convective systems (MCSs) are major contributors to extreme precipitation in urban agglomerations, exhibiting complex characteristics influenced by large-scale climate variability and local urban processes. This study utilizes a high-resolution MCS database spanning from 2001 to 2020 to investigate the spatiotemporal variations of MCSs in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) urban agglomeration and assess their response to urbanization. Our analysis reveals significant spatial and temporal differences in MCS activities during the warm season (April to September), including initiation, movement, and lifespan, with notable trends observed over the study period. MCSs are found to contribute substantially to hourly extreme precipitation, accounting for approximately 60%, which exceeds their contribution to total precipitation. Furthermore, the role of MCSs in extreme precipitation has also increased, driven by the intensification of MCS-induced extreme rainfall. Additionally, MCS characteristics exhibit significant regional differences. Urban areas experience more pronounced changes in MCS activity and precipitation compared to the surrounding rural regions. Specifically, urbanization contributes approximately 16% to MCS-related precipitation and 19% to MCS initiation, highlighting its substantial role in enhancing these processes. Moreover, mountainous areas and water bodies surrounding cities show stronger trends in certain MCS characteristics than urban and rural plains. This may be attributed to climatological conditions that favor MCS activity in these regions, as well as the complex interactions between urbanization, topography, and land–sea contrasts. These complicated dynamics warrant further investigation to better understand their implications.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/16/3/245mesoscale convective systemurbanizationextreme precipitation |
| spellingShingle | Xinguan Du Tianwen Sun Kyaw Than Oo Spatiotemporal Characteristics of Mesoscale Convective Systems in the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration and Their Response to Urbanization Atmosphere mesoscale convective system urbanization extreme precipitation |
| title | Spatiotemporal Characteristics of Mesoscale Convective Systems in the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration and Their Response to Urbanization |
| title_full | Spatiotemporal Characteristics of Mesoscale Convective Systems in the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration and Their Response to Urbanization |
| title_fullStr | Spatiotemporal Characteristics of Mesoscale Convective Systems in the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration and Their Response to Urbanization |
| title_full_unstemmed | Spatiotemporal Characteristics of Mesoscale Convective Systems in the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration and Their Response to Urbanization |
| title_short | Spatiotemporal Characteristics of Mesoscale Convective Systems in the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration and Their Response to Urbanization |
| title_sort | spatiotemporal characteristics of mesoscale convective systems in the yangtze river delta urban agglomeration and their response to urbanization |
| topic | mesoscale convective system urbanization extreme precipitation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/16/3/245 |
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