HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL DISTRIBUTIONS OF CLOUD COVER OVER EASTERN CHINA AND THE EAST CHINA SEA

LI Yun-ying; SUI Xing-bin; YAN Ji-ping

Abstract:

Based on data from satellite and surface observations, the horizontal and vertical distributions of clouds over eastern China and the East China Sea are examined. Three maximum centers of cloud cover are clearly visible in the horizontal distribution of total cloud cover. Two of these maxima occur over land. As the clouds mainly originate from the climbing airflows in the southern and eastern slopes of the Tibetan Plateau, they can be classified as dynamic clouds. The third center of cloud cover is over the sea. As the clouds mainly form from the evaporation of the warm Kuroshio Current, they can be categorized as thermodynamic clouds. Although the movement of the cloud centers reflect the seasonal variation of the Asian summer monsoon, cloud fractions of six cloud types that are distinct from the total cloud cover show individual horizontal patterns and seasonal variations. In their vertical distribution, cloud cover over the land and sea exhibits different patterns in winter but similar patterns in summer. In cold seasons, limited by divergent westerlies in the middle troposphere, mid-level clouds prevail over the leeside of the Tibetan Plateau. At the same time, suppressed by strong downdraft of the western Pacific subtropical high, low clouds dominate over the ocean. In warm seasons both continental and marine clouds can penetrate upward into the upper troposphere because they are subject to similar unstable stratification conditions.

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LI Yun-ying, SUI Xing-bin, YAN Ji-ping. HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL DISTRIBUTIONS OF CLOUD COVER OVER EASTERN CHINA AND THE EAST CHINA SEA [J]. Journal of Tropical Meteorology, 2012, 18(3): 387-392.

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HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL DISTRIBUTIONS OF CLOUD COVER OVER EASTERN CHINA AND THE EAST CHINA SEA

Institute of Meteorology, PLA University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 211101 China

Received Date: 2010-11-17

Rev Recd Date: 2012-07-15

Abstract: Based on data from satellite and surface observations, the horizontal and vertical distributions of clouds over eastern China and the East China Sea are examined. Three maximum centers of cloud cover are clearly visible in the horizontal distribution of total cloud cover. Two of these maxima occur over land. As the clouds mainly originate from the climbing airflows in the southern and eastern slopes of the Tibetan Plateau, they can be classified as dynamic clouds. The third center of cloud cover is over the sea. As the clouds mainly form from the evaporation of the warm Kuroshio Current, they can be categorized as thermodynamic clouds. Although the movement of the cloud centers reflect the seasonal variation of the Asian summer monsoon, cloud fractions of six cloud types that are distinct from the total cloud cover show individual horizontal patterns and seasonal variations. In their vertical distribution, cloud cover over the land and sea exhibits different patterns in winter but similar patterns in summer. In cold seasons, limited by divergent westerlies in the middle troposphere, mid-level clouds prevail over the leeside of the Tibetan Plateau. At the same time, suppressed by strong downdraft of the western Pacific subtropical high, low clouds dominate over the ocean. In warm seasons both continental and marine clouds can penetrate upward into the upper troposphere because they are subject to similar unstable stratification conditions.

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HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL DISTRIBUTIONS OF CLOUD COVER OVER EASTERN CHINA AND THE EAST CHINA SEA

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