Investigation of Precipitation Process in the Water Vapor Channel of the Yarlung Zsangbo Grand Canyon

Abstract

The Yarlung Zsangbo Grand Canyon (YGC) is an important pathway for water vapor transport from southern Asia to the Tibetan Plateau (TP). This area exhibits one of the highest frequencies of convective activity in China, and precipitation often induces natural disasters in local communities, which can dramatically affect their livelihoods. In addition, the produced precipitation gives rise to vast glaciers and large rivers around the YGC. In 2018, the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program tasked a research team to conduct an “investigation of the precipitation process in the water vapor channel of the Yarlung Zsangbo Grand Canyon” (INVC) in the southeastern TP. This team subsequently established a comprehensive observation system of land–air interaction, water vapor, clouds, and rainfall activity in the YGC. This paper introduces the developed observation system and summarizes the preliminary results obtained during the first two years of the project. Using this INVC observation network, herein, we focus on the development of rainfall events on the southeastern TP. This project also helps to monitor geohazards in the key area of the Sichuan–Tibet railway, which traverses the northern YGC. The observation datasets will benefit future research on mountain meteorology.