Zhang et al. (2025) Trends in Atmospheric River Influence on Precipitation over the Jianghuai River Basin in Northern Hemisphere Summer

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Journal of Climate
• Year: 2025
• Date: 2025-12-08
• Authors: Yehui Zhang, Yue Han, Houfu Zhou, Haiyang Gao, Na Yang
• DOI: 10.1175/jcli-d-25-0217.1

Research Groups

Not specified in the abstract.

Short Summary

This study examines the frequency of atmospheric rivers (ARs) and precipitation intensity trends in the Jianghuai River basin from 1970-2019. It finds that despite a declining AR frequency, AR-related precipitation intensity has significantly increased, especially in directly impacted areas, leading to more extreme precipitation events.

Objective

• Examine the frequency of atmospheric rivers (ARs) and long-term trends in precipitation intensity across different AR influence zones (classes A, B, and C) in the Jianghuai River basin during summer from 1970 to 2019.
• Investigate the relationship between AR dynamics and the intensification of precipitation, including extreme events, in the region.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Jianghuai River basin, China, categorized into three grid types (A, B, C) based on varying degrees of AR influence.
• Temporal Scale: Summer seasons (June, July, August) from 1970 to 2019 (50 years).

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Not specified in the abstract.
• Data sources: Not explicitly specified in the abstract, but likely gridded observational or reanalysis data for precipitation intensity and integrated vapor transport (IVT).

Main Results

• AR-related precipitation has shown a significant intensification over the past five decades in the Jianghuai River basin.
• The overall frequency of ARs in the Jianghuai River basin has exhibited a declining trend, most notably in June, but with a slight increase in August, indicating a shift in seasonal occurrence.
• AR-related precipitation intensity has displayed a widespread upward trend, with the most pronounced increases observed in Class A grids, which are directly impacted by ARs.
• Class B grids, experiencing lower integrated vapor transport (IVT) values, showed a more moderate increase; specifically, Class B–AR grids (on AR days) exhibited significant precipitation intensification in June and July, while Class B–non-AR grids (on non-AR days) showed a notable increase in August.
• Class C grids, representing non-AR days, exhibited mixed precipitation intensity trends across the basin.
• Despite the decreasing frequency of ARs, their influence on precipitation has strengthened, leading to an increased occurrence of extreme precipitation events associated with ARs.

Contributions

• Quantifies the long-term trends in AR frequency and associated precipitation intensity across different AR influence zones in the Jianghuai River basin.
• Reveals a critical finding: despite a declining AR frequency, the intensity of AR-related precipitation, particularly extreme events, has significantly increased.
• Underscores the critical role of ARs in shaping precipitation patterns and highlights the necessity of integrating AR dynamics into future climate assessments and water resource management strategies for the region.

Funding

Not specified in the abstract.

Citation

@article{Zhang2025Trends,
  author = {Zhang, Yehui and Han, Yue and Zhou, Houfu and Gao, Haiyang and Yang, Na},
  title = {Trends in Atmospheric River Influence on Precipitation over the Jianghuai River Basin in Northern Hemisphere Summer},
  journal = {Journal of Climate},
  year = {2025},
  doi = {10.1175/jcli-d-25-0217.1},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1175/jcli-d-25-0217.1}
}