Wang et al. (2026) Vertical structures of summer orographic precipitation under different low-level wind conditions in the Ili River Valley observed by GPM-DPR

Identification

• Journal: Atmospheric Research
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-19
• Authors: Zhimin Wang, Jing Yang, Yan Yin, Changchun Xu, Yuanyuan Li, Yujiang Fan, Baojun Chen, Tianliang Zhao
• DOI: 10.1016/j.atmosres.2026.109353

Research Groups

• College of Geography and Remote Sensing Science, Xinjiang University
• Xinjiang Weather Modification Center
• State Key Laboratory of Climate System Prediction and Risk Management/Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters/Key Laboratory for Aerosol Cloud-Precipitation of China Meteorological Administration (CMA)
• CMA Cloud-Precipitation Physics and Weather Modification Key Laboratory (CPML)

Short Summary

This study investigates the modulating effect of surface wind direction on orographic precipitation in the Ili River Valley using GPM/DPR satellite radar data, identifying four types of precipitation systems based on low-level wind conditions.

Objective

• Investigate the relationship between low-level wind and vertical structure of summer orographic precipitation in the Ili River Valley

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Regional scale (Ili River Valley)
• Temporal Scale: Summer season

Methodology and Data

• Models used: GPM/DPR satellite radar data, ERA5 reanalysis
• Data sources: Satellite, observation, reanalysis

Main Results

• Four types of precipitation systems are identified: valley-wind PSs (11.21% of total rainfall), mountain-wind PSs (10.40%), light-wind PSs (19.96%), and northwest-wind PSs (57.94%)
• Valley-wind PSs predominantly occur during daytime, driven by upslope thermal forcing
• Mountain-wind PSs mainly appear at night, have the highest 0 ◦C level (4.25 km) and largest proportion of large particles (Dm > 2.0 mm)
• Northwest-wind PSs contribute the largest rainfall fraction, are influenced by large-scale westerly systems

Contributions

• This study emphasizes the importance of considering low-level wind for understanding the vertical structure of orographic precipitation
• The findings can help evaluate model performance over complex terrain

Funding

• Not specified in the paper

Citation

@article{Wang2026Vertical,
  author = {Wang, Zhimin and Yang, Jing and Yin, Yan and Xu, Changchun and Li, Yuanyuan and Fan, Yujiang and Chen, Baojun and Zhao, Tianliang},
  title = {Vertical structures of summer orographic precipitation under different low-level wind conditions in the Ili River Valley observed by GPM-DPR},
  journal = {Atmospheric Research},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/j.atmosres.2026.109353},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2026.109353}
}