Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Spatial and diurnal variations of storm heights in the East Asia summer monsoon: storm height regimes and large-scale diurnal modulation

  • Published:
Climate Dynamics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study investigates the spatial and diurnal variation of storm height in the East Asia summer monsoon region using 13-year Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Precipitation Radar data. Precipitating storms are classified as shallow (<5 km), middle (5–10 km), and deep (>10 km) depending the height. Four different regimes are identified to characterize the region: the continental (CT) shallow regime over inland China with elevated terrain, the CT deep over the Chinese Plain, the coastal (CS) middle over the East China Sea and South Sea of Korea, and the CS shallow over the south coastal area of Japan. This regime separation reflects well the distinctive regional difference in the rainfall contribution by each storm type. The occurrence frequencies of shallow, middle, and deep storms exhibit pronounced diurnal variation as well, but with significant differences in the amplitude and phase across the regimes. These lead to a diversity in the diurnal variation of surface rainfall such as bimodal morning and late evening peaks in the two CT regimes and the single morning peak in the two CS regimes. Processes involved in the diurnal variation of storms are different across the regimes, indicating difference in the contributing role of surface heating, large-scale diurnal circulation, and diurnal propagations of convective systems. The storm height also affects the rain intensity. This study highlights that the East Asia summer monsoon has distinctive sub-regional variation of the storm height distribution, thereby providing unique differences in the rainfall amount, intensity, and the diurnal variation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14
Fig. 15
Fig. 16

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Asai T, Ke S, Kodama Y-M (1998) Diurnal variability of cloudiness over East Asia and western Pacific Ocean as revealed by GMS during the warm season. J Meteo Soc Jpn 76(5):675–684

    Google Scholar 

  • Carbone RE, Tuttle JD, Ahijevych DA, Trier SB (2002) Inferences of predictability associated with warm season precipitation episodes. J Atmos Sci 59:2033–2056

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chang CP (2004) The East Asian monsoon. World Scientific, Singapore

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Chen GTJ (2004) Research on the phenomena of Meiyu during the past quarter century: an overview. In: Chang CP (ed) The East Asian Monsoon. World Scientific, Singapore, pp 357–403

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Chen S-J, Kuo Y-H, Wang W, Tao Z-Y, Cui B (1998) A modeling case study of heavy rainstorms along the Mei-yu front. Mon Wea Rev 126:2330–2351

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen G, Sha W, Iwasaki T (2009) Diurnal variation of precipitation over southeastern China: spatial distribution and its seasonality. J Geophys Res 114:D13103

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen G, Sha W, Iwasaki T, Ueno K (2012) Diurnal variation of rainfall in the Yangtze River Valley during the spring–summer transition from TRMM measurements. J Geophys Res 117:D06106

    Google Scholar 

  • Chow KC, Chan JCL (2009) Diurnal variations of circulation and precipitation in the vicinity of the Tibetan Plateau in early summer. Clim Dyn 32:55–73

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fu R, Del Genio AD, Rossow WB (1994) Influence of ocean surface conditions on atmospheric vertical thermodynamic structure and deep convection. J Clim 7:1092–1108

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fujinami H, Nomura S, Yasunari T (2005) Characteristics of diurnal variations in convection and precipitation over the southern Tibetan Plateau during summer. SOLA 1:49–52

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ho CH, Park MS, Choi YS, Takayabu YN (2008) Relationship between intraseasonal oscillation and diurnal variation of summer rainfall over the South China Sea. Geophys Res Lett 35:L03701. doi:10.1029/2007GL031962

    Google Scholar 

  • Houze RA, Wilton DC, Smull BF (2007) Monsoon convection in the Himalayan region as seen by the TRMM Precipitation Radar. Q J R Meteorol Soc 133:1389–1411

    Google Scholar 

  • Huang WR, Chan JCL, Wang SY (2010) A planetary-scale land–sea breeze circulation in East Asia and the western North Pacific. Q J R Meteorol Soc 136:1543–1553

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huffman GJ et al (2007) The TRMM multisatellite precipitation analysis (TMPA): quasi-global, multiyear, combined-sensor precipitation estimates at fine scales. J Hydrometeor 8:38–55

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ichikawa H, Yasunari T (2006) Time–space characteristics of diurnal rainfall over Borneo and surrounding oceans as observed by TRMM-PR. J Clim 19:1238–1260

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iguchi T, Kozu T, Meneghini R, Awaka J, Okamoto K (2000) Rain-profiling algorithm for the TRMM Precipitation Radar. J Appl Meteor 39:2038–2052

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson RH, Rickenbach TM, Rutledge SA, Ciesielski PE, Schubert WH (1999) Trimodal characteristics of tropical convection. J Climate 12:2397–2418

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kanada S, Tsuguti H, Kato T, Fujibe F (2014) Diurnal variation of precipitation around western Japan during the warm season. SOLA 10:72–77

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kang IS et al (2002) Intercomparison of the climatological variations of Asian summer monsoon precipitation simulated by 10 GCMs. Clim Dyn 19:383–395

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kato T (2011) Heavy rainfall over the Baiu frontal zone around Japan-relation with cloud top heights of cumulonimbi. In: Chang CP (ed) The global monsoon system: research and forecast. World Scientific, Singapore, pp 339–356

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Koo MS, Hong SY (2010) Diurnal variations of simulated precipitation over East Asia in two regional climate models. J Geophys Res 115:D05105

    Google Scholar 

  • Krishnamurti TN, Kishtawal CM (2000) A pronounced continental-scale diurnal mode of the Asian summer monsoon. Mon Weather Rev 128:462–473

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kummerow C, Barnes W, Kozu T, Shiue J, Simpson J (1998) The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) sensor package. J Atmos Oceanic Technol 15:809–817

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee MI, Schubert SD, Suarez MJ, Held IM, Lau NC, Ploshay JJ, Kumar A, Kim HK, Schemm JKE (2007) An analysis of the warm season diurnal cycle over the continental United States and northern Mexico in general circulation models. J of Hydrometeorology 8:344–366

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee MI, Choi I, Tao WK, Schubert SD, Kang IS (2010) Mechanisms of diurnal precipitation over the United States Great Plains: a cloud resolving model perspective. Clim Dyn 34:419–437

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luo Y, Gong Y, Zhang DL (2014) Initiation and organizational modes of an extreme-rain-producing mesoscale convective system along a Mei-Yu front in East China. Mon Wea Rev 142:203–221

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maddox RA (1980) Mesoscale convective complexes. Bull Am Meteor Soc 61:1374–1387

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Misumi Y (1999) Diurnal variations of precipitation grouped into cloud categories around the Japanese Archipelago in the warm season. J Meteor Soc Jpn 77:615–635

    Google Scholar 

  • Mori S et al (2004) Diurnal land–sea rainfall peak migration over Sumatera island, Indonesian Maritime Continent, observed by TRMM satellite and intensive rawinsonde soundings. Mon Wea Rev 132:2021–2039

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oki T, Musiake K (1994) Seasonal change of the diurnal cycle of precipitation over Japan and Malaysia. J Appl Meteor 33:1445–1463

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Park MS, Elsberry RL (2013) Latent heating and cooling rates in developing and non-developing tropical disturbances during TCS-08: TRMM PR versus ELDORA retrievals. J Atmos Sci 70:15–35

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Park MS, Choi YS, Ho CH, Sui CH, Park SK, Ahn MH (2007) Regional cloud characteristics over the tropical northwestern Pacific as revealed by Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Precipitation Radar and TRMM Microwave Imager. J Geophys Res 112:D05209

    Google Scholar 

  • Park MS, Ho CH, Kim J, Elsberry RL (2011) Diurnal circulations and their multi-scale interaction leading to rainfall over the South China Sea upstream of the Philippines during intraseasonal monsoon westerly wind bursts. Clim Dyn 37:1483–1499

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Petersen WA, Rutledge SA (2001) Regional variability in tropical convection: observations from TRMM. J Clim 14:3566–3586

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ramage CS (1952) Diurnal variation of summer rainfall over east China, Korea, and Japan. J Meteor 9:83–86

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rienecker MM et al (2011) MERRA: NASA’s modern-era retrospective analysis for research and applications. J Clim 24:3624–3648

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roh JW, Lee YH, Nam JE, Chung KY (2012) Diurnal variations of summertime precipitation in South Korea in 2009 using precipitation reanalysis data. SOLA 8:155–159

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sapiano MRP, Arkin PA (2009) An intercomparison and validation of high-resolution satellite precipitation estimates with 3-hourly gauge data. J Hydrometeor 10:149–166

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sohn BJ, Ryu GH, Song HJ, Ou ML (2013) Characteristic features of warm-type rain producing heavy rainfall over the Korean Peninsula inferred from TRMM measurements. Mon Wea Rev 141:3873–3888

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Takayabu YN (2006) Rain-yield per flash calculated from TRMM PR and LIS data and its relationship to the contribution of tall convective rain. Geophys Res Lett 33:L18705

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang B (2006) The Asian monsoon. Springer & Praxis Publishing, New York, p 787

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang CC, Chen GTJ, Carbone RE (2004) A climatology of warm-season cloud patterns over East Asia based on GMS infrared brightness temperature observations. Mon Wea Rev 132:1606–1629

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xu W, Zipser EJ (2011) Diurnal variations of precipitation, deep convection, and lightning over and east of the eastern Tibetan Plateau. J Climate 24:448–465

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yamada TJ, Lee MI, Kanamitsu M, Kanamaru H (2012) Diurnal characteristics of rainfall over the contiguous United States and Northern Mexico in the dynamically downscaled reanalysis dataset (US10). J Hydrometeor 13:1142–1148

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yokoyama C, Takayabu YN, Kanada S (2014) A contrast in precipitation characteristics across the Baiu front near Japan. Part I: TRMM PR observation. J Clim 27:5872–5890

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yuan W, Yu R, Zhang M, Lin W, Chen H, Li J (2012) Regimes of diurnal variation of summer rainfall over subtropical east Asia. J Climate 25:3307–3320

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang Y, Guo Y (2011) Variability of atmospheric freezing-level height and its impact on the cryosphere in China. Ann Glaciol 52:81–88

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zipser EJ, Liu C, Cecil DJ, Nesbitt SW, Yorty DP (2006) Where are the most intense thunderstorms on earth? Bull Am Meteor Soc 87:1057–1071

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Korea Meteorological Administration Research and Development Program under Grant APCC 2013-3141. JMY was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government (MSIP) (2009-0083527).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Urban and Environmental Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), 50 UNIST-gil, Ulju-gun, Ulsan, 689-798, Republic of Korea

    Myung-Sook Park, Myong-In Lee, Hyerim Kim & Jungho Im

  2. Department of Science Education, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, 120-750, Republic of Korea

    Jung-Moon Yoo

Authors
  1. Myung-Sook Park
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Myong-In Lee
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Hyerim Kim
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jungho Im
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Jung-Moon Yoo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Myong-In Lee.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Park, MS., Lee, MI., Kim, H. et al. Spatial and diurnal variations of storm heights in the East Asia summer monsoon: storm height regimes and large-scale diurnal modulation. Clim Dyn 46, 745–763 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-015-2610-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-015-2610-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation