|
|
|
| Spatial Distributions of Atmospheric Radiative Fluxes and Heating Rates over China during Summer |
| YANG Da-Sheng,WANG Pu-Cai |
| 1. Key Laboratory for the Middle Atmosphere and Global Environmental Observation (LAGEO), Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China；2. Meteorological Observation Center, China Meteorological Administration, Beijing 100081, China；3. Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China,1. Key Laboratory for the Middle Atmosphere and Global Environmental Observation (LAGEO), Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China |
|
|
|
|
Abstract The latitude-altitude distributions of radiative fluxes and heating rates are investigated by utilizing CloudSat satellite data over China during summer. The Tibetan Plateau causes the downward shortwave fluxes of the lower atmosphere over central China to be smaller than the fluxes over southern and northern China by generating more clouds. The existence of a larger quantity of clouds over central China reflects a greater amount of solar radiation back into space. The vertical gradients of upward shortwave radiative fluxes in the atmosphere below 8 km are greater than those above 8 km. The latitudinal-altitude distributions of downward longwave radiative fluxes show a slantwise decreasing trend from low latitudes to high latitudes that gradually weaken in the downward direction. The upward longwave radiative fluxes also weaken in the upward direction but with larger gradients. The maximum heating rates by solar radiation and cooling rates by longwave infrared radiation are located over 28-40°N at 7-8 km mean sea level (MSL), and they are larger than the rates in the northern and southern regions. The heating and cooling rates match well both vertically and geographically.
|
|
Received: 13 March 2010
Revised: 01 September 2010
Accepted: 02 September 2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
