Takahashi et al. (2026) Land-Surface Influences on Precipitation Characteristics in the Wet Asian Monsoon Regions: A Review Integrating High-Resolution Satellite Observations and Convection-Permitting Climate Modeling

Identification

• Journal: Advances in Atmospheric Sciences
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-04-10
• Authors: Hiroshi G. Takahashi, Shiori Sugimoto, Hatsuki Fujinami, Tomonori Sato
• DOI: 10.1007/s00376-026-5209-3

Research Groups

• Tokyo Metropolitan University, Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan
• Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
• Institute for Space Earth Environmental Research, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
• Faculty of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan

Short Summary

This review synthesizes evidence on how land-surface conditions influence precipitation intensity and frequency in wet Asian monsoon regions, integrating high-resolution satellite observations and convection-permitting climate models to re-evaluate land-atmosphere interactions within a physical hierarchy.

Objective

• To reassess the influence of land-surface conditions on fundamental precipitation characteristics (intensity and frequency) in wet Asian monsoon regions, by integrating high-resolution satellite observations and convection-permitting climate modeling within a physical hierarchy of land-atmosphere interactions.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Asian monsoon area, specifically wet Asian monsoon regions (parts of Southeast, South, and East Asia). Global for satellite observations.
• Temporal Scale: Seasonal (monsoon march), diurnal (precipitation cycle), and climate variability (over the past two decades for satellite data analysis).

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Convection-permitting climate models.
• Data sources: High-resolution satellite precipitation radars, observational projects.

Main Results

• Land-surface conditions exert complex influences on precipitation characteristics (intensity and frequency) in wet Asian monsoon regions, which are not solely attributable to changes in evapotranspiration.
• Advancements in high-resolution satellite observations and convection-permitting climate models have improved the reproducibility of precipitation characteristics, enabling process-oriented assessments of land-surface sensitivity.
• The review clarifies nocturnal rainfall processes, highlighting the critical role of boundary-layer moisture transport.
• Despite improvements, convection-permitting climate models still face scientific and technical challenges related to resolution and convective parameterization, necessitating further systematic understanding of physical mechanisms.

Contributions

• Provides a comprehensive re-evaluation of land-surface influences on precipitation in wet Asian monsoon regions, specifically focusing on intensity and frequency, by integrating high-resolution satellite observations and convection-permitting climate modeling.
• Organizes existing evidence within a physical hierarchy to highlight cross-scale linkages in land-atmosphere interactions, from seasonal to diurnal cycles.
• Identifies scientific and technical challenges in current convection-permitting climate modeling, offering insights into physical mechanisms and future research directions for both observational and modeling approaches.

Funding

• Japan Society for the Promotion of Science KAKENHI Grant Nos. JP22H00037, JP24K21389, JP20H02252, JP19H01375, JP24H02228, JP24K15280, JP18KK0098, and JP23KK0064.
• Third and Fourth Earth Observation Research Announcements (EORA-3 and EORA-4) of the JAXA Precipitation Measuring Mission Science.
• Open access funding provided by Tokyo Metropolitan University.

Citation

@article{Takahashi2026LandSurface,
  author = {Takahashi, Hiroshi G. and Sugimoto, Shiori and Fujinami, Hatsuki and Sato, Tomonori},
  title = {Land-Surface Influences on Precipitation Characteristics in the Wet Asian Monsoon Regions: A Review Integrating High-Resolution Satellite Observations and Convection-Permitting Climate Modeling},
  journal = {Advances in Atmospheric Sciences},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1007/s00376-026-5209-3},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-026-5209-3}
}