Zhao Chuancheng, Yao Shuxia, Ding Yongjian, Zhao Qiudong, Zhou Jiaxin
College of Information Engineering, Lanzhou City University, Lanzhou, 730070, China.
State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jul 9;15(1):24684. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-08358-8.
Knowledge of microphysical characteristics of precipitation, including intensity, drop size, fall velocity, and kinetic energy, is crucial for the quantitative measurement of precipitation using radar and for estimating precipitation erosivity. This study investigates the variations in precipitation parameters from August 2019 to August 2021 at a high-altitude site in the Tianshan Mountains, located in the arid regions of China, utilizing an optical disdrometer. Detailed analyses are provided on precipitation intensity (I), drop size distribution, fall velocity, radar reflectivity (Z), and kinetic energy (KE). Additionally, empirical relationships between precipitation intensity and radar reflectivity (Z-I) as well as between intensity and kinetic energy (KE-I) are established. The proportion of precipitation events with an intensity of less then 2.5 mm h is higher during the dry season compared to the wet season, whereas the proportion of events with an intensity of less than 10 mm h is lower in the wet season. The characteristics of the drop size distribution are consistent with those of intensity. Due to the increased occurrence of solid precipitation (snow) during the dry season, fall velocities are greater in the wet season. The correlation coefficient values for the Z-I relationship are low, whereas the exponent values are high. Furthermore, there is a distinct variation in the coefficient and exponents of the Z-I relationship between the wet and dry seasons. A power-law model for the KE-I relationship is also proposed. The kinetic energy over a 1-minute was calculated using five different KE-I equations, and these results were subsequently compared to assess the model's performance.
了解降水的微观物理特征，包括强度、雨滴大小、下落速度和动能，对于利用雷达进行降水的定量测量以及估算降水侵蚀力至关重要。本研究利用光学雨滴谱仪，调查了位于中国干旱地区天山的一个高海拔站点在2019年8月至2021年8月期间降水参数的变化情况。对降水强度（I）、雨滴大小分布、下落速度、雷达反射率（Z）和动能（KE）进行了详细分析。此外，还建立了降水强度与雷达反射率（Z-I）以及强度与动能（KE-I）之间的经验关系。与雨季相比，旱季强度小于2.5毫米/小时的降水事件比例更高，而雨季强度小于10毫米/小时的降水事件比例更低。雨滴大小分布特征与强度特征一致。由于旱季固态降水（雪）出现频率增加，雨季的下落速度更大。Z-I关系的相关系数值较低，而指数值较高。此外，干湿季之间Z-I关系的系数和指数存在明显差异。还提出了KE-I关系的幂律模型。使用五个不同的KE-I方程计算了1分钟内的动能，随后对这些结果进行比较以评估模型的性能。
