Characteristics of Precipitation Diurnal Cycle over a Mountainous Area of Sumatra Island including MJO and Seasonal Signatures Based on the 15-Year Optical Rain Gauge Data, WRF Model and IMERG

Abstract

In this study we investigate the characteristics of the diurnal precipitation cycle including the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) and seasonal influences over a mountainous area in Sumatra Island based on the in situ measurement of precipitation using the optical rain gauge (ORG). For comparison with ORG data, the characteristics based on the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission (IMERG) and Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) simulations were also investigated. Fifteen years of ORG data over a mountainous area of Sumatra, namely, at Kototabang (100.32° E, 0.20° S), were analyzed to obtain the characteristics of the diurnal cycle of precipitation in this region. The diurnal cycle of precipitation presented a single peak in the late afternoon, and the peak time difference was closely related to the rain event duration. The MJO acts to modulate the diurnal amplitude but not the diurnal phase. A high precipitation amount (PA) and frequency (PF) were observed during phases 2, 3, and 4, along with an increase in the number of longer-duration rain events, but the diurnal phase was similar in all MJO phases. In terms of season, the highest PA and PF values were observed during pre-southwest and pre-northeast monsoon seasons. WRF simulation reproduced the diurnal phase correctly and more realistically than the IMERG products. However, it largely overestimated the amplitude of the diurnal cycle in comparison with ORG. These disagreements could be related to the resolution and quality of IMERG and WRF data.

Keywords

• diurnal cycle
• Kototabang
• Sumatra
• optical rain gauge
• IMERG
• WRF