Seasonal variations in tropical and subtropical convective and stratiform precipitation of the East Asian monsoon are analyzed using 10-year (1998-2007) Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) precipitation radar (PR) rain products (2A25). Datasets from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) 24 general circulation models (GCMs) are evaluated using TRMM PR rain products in terms of their ability to simulate convective and stratiform precipitation and their deficiencies. The results show that Asian monsoon convective and stratiform precipitation increases significantly after onset of the summer monsoon, but the percentage of convective precipitation clearly decreases over tropical areas while it increases in subtropical regions. The GCMs simulate well the seasonal variation in the contribution of Asian monsoon subtropical convective precipitation to the total rainfall; however, the simulated convective precipitation amount is high while the simulated stratiform precipitation amount is low relative to TRMM measurements, especially over the Asian monsoon tropical region. There is simultaneous TRMM-observed convective and stratiform precipitation in space and time, but GCMs cannot simulate this relationship between convective and stratiform precipitation, resulting in the deficiency of stratiform precipitation simulations.
The relationship between surface rain rate and depth of rain system(rain depth) over Southeast Asia is examined using 10-yr Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission(TRMM) precipitation radar(PR) measurements.Results show that,in general,a large surface rain rate is associated with a deep precipitating system,but a deep rain system may not always correspond with a large surface rain rate.This feature has a regional characteristic.Convective rain develops more frequently over land than over the ocean,while stratiform rain can extend to higher altitudes over the ocean than over land.A light surface rain rate has the largest probability to occur,regardless of rain depth.A convective rain system is more likely associated with a stronger surface rain rate than a stratiform rain system.Results show that precipitation systems involve complex microphysical processes.Rain depth is just one characteristic of precipitation.A linear relationship between surface rain rate and rain depth does not exist.Both deep convective and stratiform rain systems have reflectivity profiles that can be divided into three sections.The main difference in their profiles is at higher levels,from 4.5 km up to 19 km.For shallow stratiform rain systems,a two-section reflectivity profile mainly exists,while for convective systems a three-section profile is more common.
Summer-time synoptic-scale waves in South China and the Yangtze River basin are quantified and compared by means of analyzing the 6-year (1998―2004) TRMM Multi-Satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA) daily product. An innovative 3-dimensional spectrum analysis method is applied. The results indicate that synoptic-scale waves appearing in South China prominently propagate westward within a zonal wavenumber range of 9―21 and a frequency range of-0.12―-0.22 cycles day-1, while those in the Yangtze River basin primarily move eastward with the same characteristic wavenumbers of 9―21, but within a frequency range of 0.2―0.29 cycles day?1. Zonal and meridional distributions, and seasonal variations of these waves are further explored and compared. It shows that summer-time synoptic-scale waves in the South China result from the northward migration and oscillation of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) in the western Pacific, whereas the ones in the Yangtze River basin are generally related to the synoptic troughs within the westerly flow, originating from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
