Quantifying the Cloud Water Resource: Basic Concepts and Characteristics

• DOI: 10.1007/s13351-020-9125-7
• Publication Date: 2021-01-07T10:34:57Z
• Authors: Yuquan Zhou; Miao Cai; Chao Tan; Jietai Mao; Zhijin Hu
• Keywords: Precipitable water; Sink (geography)

The water in the air is composed of vapor and hydrometeors, which are inseparable global atmosphere. Precipitation basically comes from hydrometeors instead directly vapor, but rarely focused on previous studies. When assessing maximum potential precipitation, it necessary to quantify total amount present within an area for a certain period time. Those that have not participated precipitation formation surface, suspending atmosphere be exploited, defined as cloud resource (CWR). Based budget equations, we 16 terms (including 12 independent ones) respectively related substance atmosphere, characteristic variables CWR such efficiency (PE) renewal time (RT). Correspondingly, contributors grouped into state terms, advection source/sink terms. Two methods developed (details presented companion paper) with satellite observations, atmospheric reanalysis data, products, resolving models. over North China April August 2017 thus derived. results show has same order magnitude surface (Ps). hydrometers converted (Cvh) during condensation process primary source precipitation. It highly correlated Ps contributes most large region. two orders lower than corresponding vapor. can lead higher PE (several tens percent versus few percent), shorter RT (only hours several days). For daily CWR, important, monthly longer-time mean (i.e., microphysical processes) contribute largest; meanwhile, less larger study areas.