A review of the studies on extreme precipitation in the complex terrain region on the eastern side of the Tibetan Plateau

Abstract

The eastern side of the Tibetan Plateau is characterized by its variable terrain with dramatic elevation changes. The extreme precipitation in areas with steep and complex terrain can directly threaten the Tibetan Plateau and downstream regions with meteorological and subsequent geological disasters. The unique topography and geographical position of this area bring significant challenges to understanding extreme precipitation. For extreme precipitation in the complex terrain region on the eastern side of the Tibetan Plateau, a review of recent advances over the past decade was achieved in this paper. Different research areas are summarized, including precipitation observations and analysis using new methods, characteristics of climate evolution and synergistic mechanisms of extreme precipitation, cloud-precipitation physical characteristics and forecast simulations, as well as climate projections. On the scientific issues worth paying attention to and considering in the future of extreme precipitation research in complex terrain areas of the Tibetan Plateau, this paper also looks forward to several aspects of the related studies, such as combining machine learning methods with multi-source precipitation data and the applicability of precipitation data, climate change characteristics of extreme precipitation events and the mechanisms related to local weather systems and large-scale circulation anomalies, cloud macroscopic characteristics and microphysical characteristics over the Tibetan Plateau, evaluation of climate model performance for historical periods and projection of future extreme precipitation simulation.

Keywords

• extreme precipitation
• eastern side of the tibetan plateau
• complex terrain region
• physical mechanisms
• numerical modeling