Cui et al. (2026) Airflow-Transport-Pathway Dependence of Raindrop Size Distributions and Radar Z–R Relationships During the Rainy Season in the Liupan Mountains: Warm-Moist Monsoon vs. Dry-Cold Continental

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Identification

• Journal: Water
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-05-24
• Authors: Songxiang Cui, Yujun Qiu, Chunsong Lu, Ping Tian
• DOI: 10.3390/w18111270

Research Groups

Not specified in the provided text.

Short Summary

This study analyzes how two distinct airflow transport pathways—warm-moist monsoon (C1) and dry-cold continental (C2)—influence raindrop size distributions (DSD) in the Liupan Mountains. It concludes that C1 produces smaller drops with maritime characteristics, while C2 produces larger drops due to low-level evaporation and orographic lifting.

Objective

• To investigate the modulation of raindrop size distributions (DSD) by two dominant airflow transport pathway types (deep warm-moist monsoon and deep dry-cold continental) in the Liupan Mountains.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Liupan Mountains (LP), complex terrain.
• Temporal Scale: Rainy season (July–September 2021).

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Not specified.
• Data sources: Disdrometer observations and ERA5 reanalysis data.

Main Results

• Pathway C1 (Warm-moist monsoon): Exhibits maritime characteristics, characterized by higher number concentrations and a smaller mass-weighted mean diameter ($D_m$).
• Pathway C2 (Dry-cold continental): Exhibits continental characteristics; low-level evaporation depletes small drops and increases the proportion of large drops (>2.38 mm), resulting in a larger $D_m$.
• Precipitation Type: Convective precipitation produces broader DSDs than stratiform precipitation under both airflow types.
• Orographic Effect: In C2, orographic lifting enhances the growth of large drops during convective precipitation, leading to a $D_m$ significantly larger than that observed in C1.
• Z–R Relationship: The Z–R coefficient $A$ is smaller for C1 (dominated by small drops) than for C2, where reflectivity is more sensitive to the enhanced large-drop tail.

Contributions

• Provides an observational foundation to improve the accuracy of regional radar quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE), hydrometeorological forecasting, and water-resource assessment in complex mountainous terrains.

Funding

Not specified in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Cui2026AirflowTransportPathway,
  author = {Cui, Songxiang and Qiu, Yujun and Lu, Chunsong and Tian, Ping},
  title = {Airflow-Transport-Pathway Dependence of Raindrop Size Distributions and Radar Z–R Relationships During the Rainy Season in the Liupan Mountains: Warm-Moist Monsoon vs. Dry-Cold Continental},
  journal = {Water},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.3390/w18111270},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/w18111270}
}