Research on the Terrain Characteristics of Changbai Mountain and Their Impact on Precipitation and Wind Distribution

Abstract

The terrain of Changbai Mountain has great influence on the distribution of atmospheric flows and the occurrence and development of precipitation. However, quantitative studies on the real terrain characteristics and the terrain effect on precipitation distribution in this region are scant at present. This study quantitatively analyzes the regional characteristic of topographic perturbations and the relationship between terrain, wind, and precipitation in Changbai Mountain region by using a spectral analysis of the two-dimensional discrete cosine transform. Three domains with relatively heavy summer precipitation are selected as the study region. The results indicate that the overall terrain of the Changbai Mountain region exhibits anisotropic characteristics. The terrain spectra of domain B are less than those of domains A and C across the whole wavelength (λ) bands, indicating that the large-scale topographic perturbations of domain B are relatively weak. The largest topographic spectral peak of domain C shows the most pronounced undulation of terrain among the three domains. The dominant wavelengths of terrain height variance for domains A and C, both close to the respective maximum wavelengths, indicate more prominent large-scale topographic perturbations. For domain A, the variation of the precipitation spectra is consistent with that of the wind spectra at the wavelength bands of λ < 390 km, showing a high correlation between wind field and the occurrence of rainfall. The inverse relationship at larger wavelengths indicates that multiple factors contribute to the occurrence of rainfall. For domain B, there is consistency in the fluctuations of terrain spectra, precipitation spectra, and wind spectra at the wavelength bands of λ < 278.3 km, implying that the smaller-scale terrain has an important effect on the occurrence of summer precipitation. For domain C, the variations of terrain spectra, precipitation spectra, and wind spectra are almost consistent across the whole wavelength bands, indicating that the large-scale terrain and minor terrain both play a crucial role in atmospheric uplift and the occurrence and development of summer rainfall.