Arid Zone Research ›› 2019, Vol. 36 ›› Issue (5): 1070-1078.doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2019.05.03

• Pan-Third Pole Enviornment and Green Silk Road • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Distribution of Precipitable Water Vapor of Low Vortex over Xinjiang and Surrounding Central Asia in Summer

LIANG Qian1, GUANG Ying1, LIU Qiong1, SHI Wen-hao1, CHEN Yong-hang1,2, YANG Lian-mei2, LI Jian-gang2, WANG Yu-jia1   

  1. 1. College of Environmental Science and Engineering,Donghua University,Shanghai 201620,China;
    2. Institute of Desert Meteorology,China Meteorological Administration,Urumqi 830002,Xinjiang,China
  • Received:2018-12-07 Revised:2019-03-21 Published:2025-10-14

Abstract: The Central Asian Vortex is the main precipitation system over Xinjiang and Central Asia. Based on the data of AIRS Version 6 Level 2 from Aqua satellite in summer during the period of 2003-2014,the monthly variation of the Central Asian Vortex precipitation and the distribution of atmospheric precipitable water vapor from different paths were analyzed so as to reveal the atmospheric precipitation potential. The results showed that: ① Occurrence of the South Vortex and North Vortex over Central Asia was significantly different. The proportions of the North Vortex and the South Vortex accounted respectively for 68.51% and 31.69% of the total Central Asian Vortex. In July and August,the frequency of the vortex over Central Asia was the highest; ② According to the classification of different paths of the Central Asian Vortex,the occurrence of the paths was obviously different,in which the occurrence of Central Asia Vortex moving southeastward was the highest; ③ According to the monthly variation,the distribution trend of average atmospheric water vapor during the period from May to September was higher over Central Asia than that over Xinjiang,China,and it was higher over the Turpan and Tarim basins in Xinjiang than that over the areas distributed along the mountains; ④ According to the path type,the distribution trend of average atmospheric water vapor of the North Vortex was similar. Compared with the North Vortex,there were the large high-value (26 mm or more) areas along the paths,and the water vapor content along the paths of the South Vortex was low and mostly less than 18 mm. The study results could be referred in weather forecast and artificially enhancing precipitation in Xinjiang and Central Asia.

Key words: Central Asia Vortex, precipitable water vapor, moving path, spatial distribution, Xinjiang