Editorial Type:
Article
Article Type:
Research Article

Numerical Simulations of Spatial Distributions and Diurnal Variations of Low-Level Jets in China during Early Summer

Yu Du Laboratory for Climate and Ocean-Atmosphere Studies, Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing, China

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Qinghong Zhang Laboratory for Climate and Ocean-Atmosphere Studies, Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing, China

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Yi-leng Chen Department of Meteorology, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, Hawaii

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Yangyang Zhao Laboratory for Climate and Ocean-Atmosphere Studies, Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing, China

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Xu Wang Weather Modification Office of Xingjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China, Urumqi, China

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Print Publication:
01 Aug 2014
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-13-00571.1
Page(s):
5747–5767
Restricted access

Abstract

The detailed spatial distributions and diurnal variations of low-level jets (LLJs) during early summer (May–July) in China are documented using 2006–11 hourly model data from the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model with a 9-km horizontal resolution. It was found that LLJs frequently occur in the following regions of China: the Tarim basin, northeastern China, the Tibetan Plateau (TP), and southern China. The LLJs over China are classified into two types: boundary layer jets (BLJs, below 1 km) and synoptic-system-related LLJs (SLLJs, within 1–4 km). The LLJs in the Tarim basin and the TP are mainly BLJs. The SLLJs over southern China and northeastern China are associated with the mei-yu front and northeast cold vortex (NECV), respectively.

The BLJs in all regions show pronounced diurnal variations with maximum occurrences at nighttime or in the early morning, whereas diurnal variations of SLLJs vary, depending on the location. From the analysis of model data, the diurnal variation of BLJs is mainly caused by inertial oscillation at nighttime and vertical mixing in the boundary layer during daytime. Over northeastern China, SLLJ occurrences show little diurnal variation. Over southern China, two diurnal modes of SLLJs, propagation and stationary, exist and have seasonal variations, which is generally consistent with diurnal variations of precipitation.

Corresponding author address: Qinghong Zhang, Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, School of Physics, Peking University, 209 Chengfu Road, Beijing 100871, China. E-mail: qzhang@pku.edu.cn

Abstract

The detailed spatial distributions and diurnal variations of low-level jets (LLJs) during early summer (May–July) in China are documented using 2006–11 hourly model data from the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model with a 9-km horizontal resolution. It was found that LLJs frequently occur in the following regions of China: the Tarim basin, northeastern China, the Tibetan Plateau (TP), and southern China. The LLJs over China are classified into two types: boundary layer jets (BLJs, below 1 km) and synoptic-system-related LLJs (SLLJs, within 1–4 km). The LLJs in the Tarim basin and the TP are mainly BLJs. The SLLJs over southern China and northeastern China are associated with the mei-yu front and northeast cold vortex (NECV), respectively.

The BLJs in all regions show pronounced diurnal variations with maximum occurrences at nighttime or in the early morning, whereas diurnal variations of SLLJs vary, depending on the location. From the analysis of model data, the diurnal variation of BLJs is mainly caused by inertial oscillation at nighttime and vertical mixing in the boundary layer during daytime. Over northeastern China, SLLJ occurrences show little diurnal variation. Over southern China, two diurnal modes of SLLJs, propagation and stationary, exist and have seasonal variations, which is generally consistent with diurnal variations of precipitation.

Corresponding author address: Qinghong Zhang, Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, School of Physics, Peking University, 209 Chengfu Road, Beijing 100871, China. E-mail: qzhang@pku.edu.cn
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