Characteristics of Atmospheric Diabatic Heating of the Southwest China Vortex That Induces Extreme Rainstorms in Sichuan

Abstract

In this study, we aimed to demonstrate the importance of diabatic heating in extreme rainstorm weather events induced by the Southwest China vortex (SWCV) in different precipitation regions with a similar circulation background. The results showed that atmospheric diabatic heating had indicative significance for the intensity evolution of the SWCV and the precipitation area. Changes in the diabatic heating intensity preceded the intensity evolution of the SWCV, and the diabatic heating region was consistent with the heavy precipitation region. The variation in diabatic heating was mainly due to the positive contribution of its vertical transport term. The two types of spatially non-uniform heating effects were similar; however, the western type was located southeast of the SWCV, with an asymmetric distribution on the southeastern and northwestern sides. The eastern type was located in the northeast of the SWCV, with an asymmetric distribution on the northeastern and southwestern sides. The vertically non-uniform heating effect played a decisive role in the distribution and evolution of the spatially non-uniform heating terms. The vertically non-uniform heating effect affected the intensity evolution of the SWCV. In contrast, the horizontally non-uniform heating effect, in opposition to the vertically non-uniform heating effect, had a slightly weaker intensity than the vertically non-uniform heating effect. For the SWCV system, which induces extreme rainstorms, the magnitude of the horizontally non-uniform heating effect could reach that of vertically non-uniform heating; thus, the possible impact of horizontally non-uniform heating should be considered.

Keywords

• Southwest China vortex
• diabatic heating
• spatially non-uniform heating effect
• vertically non-uniform heating effect
• horizontally non-uniform heating effect