Characteristics and Variations of Raindrop Size Distribution in Chengdu of the Western Sichuan Basin, China

Abstract

Knowledge of the microphysical characteristics of precipitation plays a significant role in meteorology, hydrology, and natural hazards management, especially in the western Sichuan Basin (WSB), which is located east of the Tibetan Plateau (TP) in southwestern China and thus has unique terrain conditions and weather systems. Nonetheless, the literature regarding raindrop size distribution (RSD) in the WSB is still very limited. This work investigates RSD characteristics and temporal variations in a site (Chengdu, CD) of the WSB by employing three years of quality-controlled RSD observation collected from a second-generation PARSIVEL disdrometer. The results show that RSD has noticeable seasonal and diurnal variations in CD. Specifically, the broadest mean raindrop spectra can be found in summer and the narrowest in winter, and the raindrop spectra of a day can be the narrowest during 1400–1500 BJT (Beijing Standard Time, UTC+8). In addition, the mass-weighted mean diameter (Dm) is lower in the daytime than in the nighttime, while the logarithm of the generalized intercept parameter (log10Nw, the unit of the Nw is m−3 mm−1) has a larger value in the daytime than in the nighttime. In addition, intercomparisons indicate that the mean Dm of convective rains in CD is smaller than in South China and it is higher than in the eastern slope of TP, East China, and North China; on the other hand, the corresponding mean log10Nw is close to the value at the middle TP. Local empirical relations of shape–slope parameters (μ–Λ) and reflectivity–rain rate (Z–R) are also presented to provide references for optimizing the RSD parameterization scheme and radar precipitation estimation in the local area.