Accurate cloud classification plays a crucial role in aviation safety,climate monitoring,and localized weather forecasting.Current research has been focusing on machine learning techniques,particularly deep learning b...Accurate cloud classification plays a crucial role in aviation safety,climate monitoring,and localized weather forecasting.Current research has been focusing on machine learning techniques,particularly deep learning based model,for the types identification.However,traditional approaches such as convolutional neural networks(CNNs)encounter difficulties in capturing global contextual information.In addition,they are computationally expensive,which restricts their usability in resource-limited environments.To tackle these issues,we present the Cloud Vision Transformer(CloudViT),a lightweight model that integrates CNNs with Transformers.The integration enables an effective balance between local and global feature extraction.To be specific,CloudViT comprises two innovative modules:Feature Extraction(E_Module)and Downsampling(D_Module).These modules are able to significantly reduce the number of model parameters and computational complexity while maintaining translation invariance and enhancing contextual comprehension.Overall,the CloudViT includes 0.93×10^(6)parameters,which decreases more than ten times compared to the SOTA(State-of-the-Art)model CloudNet.Comprehensive evaluations conducted on the HBMCD and SWIMCAT datasets showcase the outstanding performance of CloudViT.It achieves classification accuracies of 98.45%and 100%,respectively.Moreover,the efficiency and scalability of CloudViT make it an ideal candidate for deployment inmobile cloud observation systems,enabling real-time cloud image classification.The proposed hybrid architecture of CloudViT offers a promising approach for advancing ground-based cloud image classification.It holds significant potential for both optimizing performance and facilitating practical deployment scenarios.展开更多
A prototype space-based cloud radar has been a precipitation system over Tianjin, China in July developed and was installed on an airplane to observe 2010. Ground-based S-band and Ka-band radars were used to examine t...A prototype space-based cloud radar has been a precipitation system over Tianjin, China in July developed and was installed on an airplane to observe 2010. Ground-based S-band and Ka-band radars were used to examine the observational capability of the prototype. A cross-comparison algorithm between different wavelengths, spatial resolutions and platform radars is presented. The reflectivity biases, correlation coefficients and standard deviations between the radars are analyzed. The equivalent reflectivity bias between the S- and Ka-band radars were simulated with a given raindrop size distribution. The results indicated that reflectivity bias between the S- and Ka-band radars due to scattering properties was less than 5 dB, and for weak precipitation the bias was negligible. The prototype space-based cloud radar was able to measure a reasonable vertical profile of reflectivity, but the reflectivity below an altitude of 1.5 km above ground level was obscured by ground clutter. The measured refiectivity by the prototype space-based cloud radar was approximately 10.9 dB stronger than that by the S-band Doppler radar （SA radar）, and 13.7 dB stronger than that by the ground-based cloud radar. The reflectivity measured by the SA radar was 0.4 dB stronger than that by the ground-based cloud radar. This study could provide a method for the quantitative examination of the observation ability for space-based radars.展开更多
Cloud base height(CBH) is a crucial parameter for cloud radiative effect estimates, climate change simulations, and aviation guidance. However, due to the limited information on cloud vertical structures included in p...Cloud base height(CBH) is a crucial parameter for cloud radiative effect estimates, climate change simulations, and aviation guidance. However, due to the limited information on cloud vertical structures included in passive satellite radiometer observations, few operational satellite CBH products are currently available. This study presents a new method for retrieving CBH from satellite radiometers. The method first uses the combined measurements of satellite radiometers and ground-based cloud radars to develop a lookup table(LUT) of effective cloud water content(ECWC), representing the vertically varying cloud water content. This LUT allows for the conversion of cloud water path to cloud geometric thickness(CGT), enabling the estimation of CBH as the difference between cloud top height and CGT. Detailed comparative analysis of CBH estimates from the state-of-the-art ECWC LUT are conducted against four ground-based millimeter-wave cloud radar(MMCR) measurements, and results show that the mean bias(correlation coefficient) is0.18±1.79 km(0.73), which is lower(higher) than 0.23±2.11 km(0.67) as derived from the combined measurements of satellite radiometers and satellite radar-lidar(i.e., Cloud Sat and CALIPSO). Furthermore, the percentages of the CBH biases within 250 m increase by 5% to 10%, which varies by location. This indicates that the CBH estimates from our algorithm are more consistent with ground-based MMCR measurements. Therefore, this algorithm shows great potential for further improvement of the CBH retrievals as ground-based MMCR are being increasingly included in global surface meteorological observing networks, and the improved CBH retrievals will contribute to better cloud radiative effect estimates.展开更多
In this study, an east-moving Tibetan Plateau vortex(TPV) is analyzed by using the ERA-5 reanalysis and multi-source satellite data, including FengYun-2 E, Aqua/MODIS and CALIPSO. The objective is to demonstrate:(i) t...In this study, an east-moving Tibetan Plateau vortex(TPV) is analyzed by using the ERA-5 reanalysis and multi-source satellite data, including FengYun-2 E, Aqua/MODIS and CALIPSO. The objective is to demonstrate:(i) the usefulness of multi-spectral satellite observations in understanding the evolution of a TPV and the associated rainfall, and(ii) the potential significance of cloud-top quantitative information in improving Southwest China weather forecasts. Results in this study show that the heavy rainfall is caused by the coupling of an east-moving TPV and some low-level weather systems [a Plateau shear line and a Southwest Vortex(SWV)], wherein the TPV is a key component. During the TPV's life cycle, the rainfall and vortex intensity maintain a significant positive correlation with the convective cloud-top fraction and height within a 2.5?radius away from its center. Moreover, its growth is found to be quite sensitive to the cloud phases and particle sizes. In the mature stage when the TPV is coupled with an SWV, an increase of small ice crystal particles and appearance of ring-and U/V-shaped cold cloud-top structures can be seen as the signature of a stronger convection and rainfall enhancement within the TPV. A tropopause folding caused by ageostrophic flows at the upper level may be a key factor in the formation of ring-shaped and U/V-shaped cloud-top structures. Based on these results, we believe that the supplementary quantitative information of an east-moving TPV cloud top collected by multi-spectral satellite observations could help to improve Southwest China short-range/nowcasting weather forecasts.展开更多
Based on Droplet Measurement Technologies data of a pre-stratiform-cloud precipitation event in Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province, on 11 November 2015, and combined with radar data, this paper comprehensively analyzes the mac...Based on Droplet Measurement Technologies data of a pre-stratiform-cloud precipitation event in Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province, on 11 November 2015, and combined with radar data, this paper comprehensively analyzes the macro-and microphysical characteristics of cloud in the upper trough.The results show that：（1） Detection takes place in the early stage of precipitation and the cloud has multiple layers. The cloud type is stratiform（Sc） and the height of the cloud base is 1009 m, 1009–1700 m is the low Sc layer, 1700–3000 m is the no-cloud level, and 3000 to the maximum height detected is another Sc layer.（2） The Sc is inhomogeneous in the horizontal and vertical directions.The particle number concentration and the effective diameter below the 0 °C layer is significantly higher than that above the 0 °C layer, which is in accordance with the ‘seeder–feeder＇ mechanism.Above the 0 °C layer is seeder cloud, where needle, column ice crystals and water droplets coexist,and sublimation and coalescence are the main processes. The morphology of ice crystals changes from needle to column, plate, and polymer as height decreases. Below the 0 °C warm layer is a supply cloud, and the particles develop in the supply cloud with abundant liquid water content. Ice melting and coalescence dominate the warm layer, which makes the effective diameter significantly increase. Down to 4150 m, the ice melts completely into raindrops.展开更多
To analyze the effects of gas cannons on clouds and precipitation,multisource observational data,including those from National Centers for Environmental Prediction(NCEP)reanalysis,Hangzhou and Huzhou new-generation we...To analyze the effects of gas cannons on clouds and precipitation,multisource observational data,including those from National Centers for Environmental Prediction(NCEP)reanalysis,Hangzhou and Huzhou new-generation weather radars,laser disdrometer,ground-based automatic weather station,wind profiler radar,and Lin'an C-band dualpolarization radar,were adopted in this study.Based on the variational dual-Doppler wind retrieval method and the polarimetric variables obtained by the dual-polarization radar,we analyzed the microphysical processes and the variations in the macro-and microphysical quantities in clouds from the perspective of the synoptic background before precipitation enhancement,the polarization echo characteristics before,during and after enhancement,and the evolution of the fine three-dimensional kinematic structure and the microphysical structure.The results show that the precipitation enhancement operation promoted the development of radar echoes and prolonged their duration,and both the horizontal and vertical wind speeds increased.The dual-polarization radar echo showed that the diameter of the precipitation particles increased,and the concentration of raindrops increased after precipitation enhancement.The raindrops were lifted to a height corresponding to 0 to-20℃due to vertical updrafts.Based on the disdrometer data during precipitation enhancement,the concentration of small raindrops(lgN_(w))showed a significant increase,and the mass-weighted diameter D_(m)value decreased,indicating that the precipitation enhancement operation played a certain“lubricating”effect.After the precipitation enhancement,the concentration of raindrops did not change much compared with that during the enhancement process,while the Dm increased,corresponding to an increase in rain intensity.The results suggest the positive effect of gas cannons on precipitation enhancement.展开更多
Aircraft observations of electrical conductivity and cloud microphsical, dynamical and other electrical parameters were made in warm stratocumulus and cumulus clouds forming during the summer monsoon seasons (June-Sep...Aircraft observations of electrical conductivity and cloud microphsical, dynamical and other electrical parameters were made in warm stratocumulus and cumulus clouds forming during the summer monsoon seasons (June-September) of 1983 and 1985 in the Deccan Plateau region, India. A Gerdien type cylindrical condenser was used for the measurement of electrical conductivity. The variations in the electrical conductivity are observed to be closely associated with the updrafts and downdrafts in the cloud, liquid water content, cloud droplet charge and corona discharge current. The value of electrical conductivity in warm clouds is found to be in the order of 10-12 ohm-1 m-1 which is two orders higher than that observed in clear-air at cloud-base levels in some regions by other investigators.Classical static electricity concepts predict reduced conductivity values inside clouds. Cloud electrical conductivity measurements, particularly in warm clouds are few and the results are contradictory. The recently identified mechanism of vertical mixing in clouds lends support to convective charge separation mechanism with inherent larger than clear-air values for cloud electrical conductivity and therefore consistent with the measurements reported herein.展开更多
The data series of monthly clouldiness over global ocean from COADS was compared with that of from satellite Nimbus-7 during April 1979 to March 1985. The correspondence between them is good. Both the two methods of o...The data series of monthly clouldiness over global ocean from COADS was compared with that of from satellite Nimbus-7 during April 1979 to March 1985. The correspondence between them is good. Both the two methods of observation can provide useful information of the distribution of cloudiness and the two data sets can be mutually complementary.展开更多
An aircraft precipitation operation and detecting was implemented by Hebei Weather Modification Office over Shijiazhuang City during18:18-19:37 on April 2,2014. The detecting area was near 500 hP a of high-altitude tr...An aircraft precipitation operation and detecting was implemented by Hebei Weather Modification Office over Shijiazhuang City during18:18-19:37 on April 2,2014. The detecting area was near 500 hP a of high-altitude trough and surface inverted trough. Slight shower had appeared in Tianjin( rear of inverted trough) and Shanxi Province( near the inverted trough) at 20:00,while there was not precipitation in Hebei Province which was near the inverted trough. Analysis showed that the water vapor supply was not enough below 550 hP a in south-central Hebei Province,and cloud system development condition was poor. The cold cloud developed better,but there was not warm cloud,causing no precipitation on the ground.展开更多
It has been several years since the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite （GOSAT） began to observe the distribution of CO2 and CH4 over the globe from space. Results from Thermal and Near-infrared Sensor for Carbon O...It has been several years since the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite （GOSAT） began to observe the distribution of CO2 and CH4 over the globe from space. Results from Thermal and Near-infrared Sensor for Carbon Observation-Cloud and Aerosol Imager （TANSO-CAI） cloud screening are necessary for the retrieval of CO2 and CH4 gas concentrations for GOSAT TANSO-Fourier Transform Spectrometer （FTS） observations. In this study, TANSO-CAI cloud flag data were compared with ground-based cloud data collected by an all-sky imager （ASI） over Beijing from June 2009 to May 2012 to examine the data quality. The results showed that the CAI has an obvious cloudy tendency bias over Beijing, especially in winter. The main reason might be that heavy aerosols in the sky are incorrectly determined as cloudy pixels by the CAI algorithm. Results also showed that the CAI algorithm sometimes neglects some high thin cirrus cloud over this area.展开更多
Objective and accurate classification model or method of cloud image is a prerequisite for accurate weather monitoring and forecast.Thus safety of aircraft taking off and landing and air flight can be guaranteed.Thres...Objective and accurate classification model or method of cloud image is a prerequisite for accurate weather monitoring and forecast.Thus safety of aircraft taking off and landing and air flight can be guaranteed.Thresholding is a kind of simple and effective method of cloud classification.It can realize automated ground-based cloud detection and cloudage observation.The existing segmentation methods based on fixed threshold and single threshold cannot achieve good segmentation effect.Thus it is difficult to obtain the accurate result of cloud detection and cloudage observation.In view of the above-mentioned problems,multi-thresholding methods of ground-based cloud based on exponential entropy/exponential gray entropy and uniform searching particle swarm optimization(UPSO)are proposed.Exponential entropy and exponential gray entropy make up for the defects of undefined value and zero value in Shannon entropy.In addition,exponential gray entropy reflects the relative uniformity of gray levels within the cloud cluster and background cluster.Cloud regions and background regions of different gray level ranges can be distinguished more precisely using the multi-thresholding strategy.In order to reduce computational complexity of original exhaustive algorithm for multi-threshold selection,the UPSO algorithm is adopted.It can find the optimal thresholds quickly and accurately.As a result,the real-time processing of segmentation of groundbased cloud image can be realized.The experimental results show that,in comparison with the existing groundbased cloud image segmentation methods and multi-thresholding method based on maximum Shannon entropy,the proposed methods can extract the boundary shape,textures and details feature of cloud more clearly.Therefore,the accuracies of cloudage detection and morphology classification for ground-based cloud are both improved.展开更多
The microphysical "three-layer" model for stratiform clouds over a midlatitude location in Northwest China is investigated by combining in situ airborne Particle Measuring Systems, Inc. (PMS), radar measurem...The microphysical "three-layer" model for stratiform clouds over a midlatitude location in Northwest China is investigated by combining in situ airborne Particle Measuring Systems, Inc. (PMS), radar measurements, and the NCAR/Penn State Mesoscale Model Version 5 (MM5) simulation with a two-moment microphysics scheme. The coexistence of measured supercooled liquid water and small ice particles produces snow particles below the cloud top in the second layer. Peak number concentration and mean diameter of cloud water and raindrop appear in the third warm layer. A thin dry layer just below the melting layer is also observed. The predicted precipitation is tested by equitable threat score. The melting layer is clearly defined in the radar image and model radar reflectivity output is agreement with the observations. The model results provide features of the microphysical structure for every layer of "three-layer" model at Yan'an station. For both observation and model simulation, the "three-layer" model explains the stratiform precipitation formation completely and comprehensively.展开更多
The physical characteristics of the summer monsoon clouds were investigated. The results of a simple cloud model were compared with the aircraft cloud physical observations collected during the summer monsoon seasons ...The physical characteristics of the summer monsoon clouds were investigated. The results of a simple cloud model were compared with the aircraft cloud physical observations collected during the summer monsoon seasons of 1973, 1974, 1976 and 1981 in the Deccan Plateau region.The model predicted profiles of cloud liquid water content (LWC) are in agreement with the observed profiles. There is reasonable agreement between the model predicted cloud vertical thickness and observed rainfall.The observed cloud-drop spectra were found to be narrow and the concentration of drops with diameter > 20um is either low or absent on many occasions. In such clouds the rain-formation cannot take place under natural atmospheric conditions due to the absence of collision-coalescence process. A comparison of the model predicted and observed rainfall suggested that the precipitation efficiency in cumulus clouds of small vertical thickness could be as low as 20 per cent.The clouds forming in the Deccan Plateau region during the summer monsoon are, by and large, cumulus and strato-cumulus type. The vertical thickness of the cumulus clouds is in the range of 1.0-2.0 km. The LWC is found to be more in the region between 1.6-1.9 km A. S. L. , which corresponds to the level at almost 3 / 4 th of the total vertical thickness of the cloud and thereafter the LWC sharply decreased. Nearly 98 per cent of the tops of the low clouds in the region are below freezing level and the most frequent range of occurrence of these cloud-tops is in the range of 2.0-3.0 km A. S. L. The dominant physical mechanism of rain-formation in these summer monsoon clouds is the collision-coalescence process.展开更多
Millimeter-wavelength radar has proved to be an effective instrument for cloud observation and research. In this study, 8-mm-wavelength cloud radar （MMCR） with Doppler and polarization capabilities was used to inves...Millimeter-wavelength radar has proved to be an effective instrument for cloud observation and research. In this study, 8-mm-wavelength cloud radar （MMCR） with Doppler and polarization capabilities was used to investigate cloud dynamics in China for the first time. Its design, system specifications, calibration, and application in measuring clouds associated with typhoon are discussed in this article. The cloud radar measurements of radar reflectivity （Z）, Doppler velocity （Vr）, velocity spectrum width （Sw） and the depolar-ization ratio （LDR） at vertical incidence were used to analyze the microphysical and dynamic processes of the cloud system and precipitation associated with Typhoon Nuri, which occurred in southern China in August 2008. The results show the reflectivity observed using MMCR to be consistent with the echo height and the melting-layer location data obtained by the nearby China S-band new-generation weather radar （SA）, but the Ka-band MMCR provided more detailed structural information about clouds and weak precipitation data than did the SA radar. The variation of radar reflectivity and LDR in vertical structure reveals the transformation of particle phase from ice to water. The vertical velocity and velocity spectrum width of MMCR observations indicate an updraft and strong turbulence in the stratiform cloud layer. MMCR provides a valuable new technology for meteorological research in China.展开更多
Cloud cavitation shows an unsteady periodic tendency under a certain flow condition. In a cavitating water jet flow with cavitation clouds, the cavities or the clouds produce high impact at their collapse. In order to...Cloud cavitation shows an unsteady periodic tendency under a certain flow condition. In a cavitating water jet flow with cavitation clouds, the cavities or the clouds produce high impact at their collapse. In order to make clear a mechanism of the periodic cavity behavior, we experimentally examine the behavior in a transparent cylindrical convergent-divergent nozzle using a high-speed video camera. An effect of upstream pressure fluctuation due to a plunger pump is investigated from a viewpoint of unsteady behavior in a cavitating water jet. As a result, it is found that the cavitating flow has two kinds of oscillation patterns in the cavity length (cavitation cloud region). One is due to the upstream pressure fluctuation caused by the plunger pump. The other is much shorter periodic motion related to the characteristic oscillation of cavitation clouds accompanied with the shrinking (reentrant), growing and shedding motion of the clouds.展开更多
Ground-based microwave radiometers profilers(MWRPs)have been used in numerical weather prediction(NWP)systems and show different impacts on forecasts.Currently,there are around hundreds of ground-based MWPRs used in w...Ground-based microwave radiometers profilers(MWRPs)have been used in numerical weather prediction(NWP)systems and show different impacts on forecasts.Currently,there are around hundreds of ground-based MWPRs used in weather stations over China;however,the application of MWPRs in NWP systems is rather limited.In this work,two MWRP retrieved profiles were assimilated into the Weather Research and Forecasting(WRF)model for a rainstorm event that occurred in Beijing,China.The quality of temperature and humidity profiles retrieved from the MWRP was evaluated against radiosonde observations and showed the reliability of the two MWRP products.Then,comparisons between the measurements of ground-based rain gauges and the corresponding forecasted precipitation in different periods of the rainstorm were investigated.The results showed that assimilating the two MWRPs affected the distribution and intensity of rainfall,especially in the early stage of the rainstorm.With the development of the rainstorm,adding MWRP data showed only a slight influence on the precipitation during the stable and mature period of the rainstorm,since the two MWRP observations were too limited to affect the large area of heavy rainfall.展开更多
Although it is well known that cloud cavitation shows unsteady behavior with the growing motion of an attached cavity, the shedding motion of a cloud, the collapsing motion of the cloud shed downstream and a reentrant...Although it is well known that cloud cavitation shows unsteady behavior with the growing motion of an attached cavity, the shedding motion of a cloud, the collapsing motion of the cloud shed downstream and a reentrant motion in flow fields such as on a 2-D hydrofoil and in a convergent- divergent channel with a rectangular cross-section, observations for the periodic behavior of cloud cavitation in a cylindrical nozzle with a convergent-divergent part, which is mainly used in an industrial field, have hardly been conducted. From engineering viewpoints, it is important to elucidate the mechanism of periodic cavitation behavior in a cylindrical nozzle. In this study, a high-speed observation technique with an image analysis technique was applied to the cloud cavitation behavior in the nozzle to make clear the mechanism of unsteady behavior. As a result, it was observed in the nozzle that the periodic behavior occurs in the cloud cavitation and pressure waves form at the collapse of clouds shed downstream. Also, it was found through the image analysis based on the present technique that the pressure wave plays a role as a trigger mechanism to cause a reentrant motion at the downstream end of an attached cavity.展开更多
Cloud water plays an important role in the global atmospheric water cycle and weather modification,but cloud is one of the most uncertain parameters in the study of weather and climate.The cloud water products from di...Cloud water plays an important role in the global atmospheric water cycle and weather modification,but cloud is one of the most uncertain parameters in the study of weather and climate.The cloud water products from different data sources may have considerable discrepancies.In this study,the total cloud liquid water(termed as cloud liquid water path,LWP)obtained from satellite observations[Advanced Himawari Imager(AHI)and Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer(AMSR)]and three sets of modern reanalysis data(ERA5,JRA-55,and MERRA-2)are compared and analyzed.Moreover,characteristics of vertical distributions of cloud liquid water content(LWC)in different regions over East Asia are analyzed by using the profile data from the reanalyses.The main findings are as follows:(1)in extensive warm marine clouds,AHI and AMSR have a good agreement(with the correlation coefficient larger than 0.7)but with an overestimation from AHI;(2)under warm cloud conditions,the LWP in ERA5shows a significant positive bias(about 0.065 kg m^(-2))over land,while MERRA-2 is closer to the satellite product compared with ERA5 and JRA-55;and(3)Southwest China(SW)is the area with most abundant LWC.The LWC is mainly concentrated in the middle and lower troposphere in the study area,and the LWC in ERA5 is higher than that in MERRA-2 and JRA-55.Overall,satellite observations and reanalyses exhibit significant inconsistency for cloud LWP,which needs further investigation and understanding.展开更多
When strong solar activities and geomagnetic storms happen, satellite communications and navigation system will be strongly disturbed. It is of great significance to monitor ionospheric disturbances,because empirical ...When strong solar activities and geomagnetic storms happen, satellite communications and navigation system will be strongly disturbed. It is of great significance to monitor ionospheric disturbances,because empirical models cannot capture ionospheric anomalous disturbances well. Nowadays, dualfrequency GPS(Global Positioning System) observations can be used to estimate the ionospheric total electron content, correct the ionospheric delay and analyze the response of the ionosphere to geomagnetic storms. In this paper, the ionospheric response to the geomagnetic storm occurred in March 2015 is investigated using GPS observations provided by Crustal Movement of Observation Network of China. The result shows that this storm increases the electron density in the ionosphere quickly and disrupts the structure of the northern equatorial anomaly region at the beginning. In the main process stage, compared with that in the quite periods, the VTEC(Vertical Total Electron Content)around the longitude of 120°E decreases by 50% and the amount of depletion is larger in the high latitude region than that in the low latitude region. We also find the height of the peak electron density in F2 layer increases during the geomagnetic storm from the electron density profiles derived from GPS occultation mission.展开更多
基金funded by Innovation and Development Special Project of China Meteorological Administration(CXFZ2022J038,CXFZ2024J035)Sichuan Science and Technology Program(No.2023YFQ0072)+1 种基金Key Laboratory of Smart Earth(No.KF2023YB03-07)Automatic Software Generation and Intelligent Service Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province(CUIT-SAG202210).
文摘Accurate cloud classification plays a crucial role in aviation safety,climate monitoring,and localized weather forecasting.Current research has been focusing on machine learning techniques,particularly deep learning based model,for the types identification.However,traditional approaches such as convolutional neural networks(CNNs)encounter difficulties in capturing global contextual information.In addition,they are computationally expensive,which restricts their usability in resource-limited environments.To tackle these issues,we present the Cloud Vision Transformer(CloudViT),a lightweight model that integrates CNNs with Transformers.The integration enables an effective balance between local and global feature extraction.To be specific,CloudViT comprises two innovative modules:Feature Extraction(E_Module)and Downsampling(D_Module).These modules are able to significantly reduce the number of model parameters and computational complexity while maintaining translation invariance and enhancing contextual comprehension.Overall,the CloudViT includes 0.93×10^(6)parameters,which decreases more than ten times compared to the SOTA(State-of-the-Art)model CloudNet.Comprehensive evaluations conducted on the HBMCD and SWIMCAT datasets showcase the outstanding performance of CloudViT.It achieves classification accuracies of 98.45%and 100%,respectively.Moreover,the efficiency and scalability of CloudViT make it an ideal candidate for deployment inmobile cloud observation systems,enabling real-time cloud image classification.The proposed hybrid architecture of CloudViT offers a promising approach for advancing ground-based cloud image classification.It holds significant potential for both optimizing performance and facilitating practical deployment scenarios.
基金the Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences Basic Scientific and Operational Project(observation and retrieval methods of microphysics and dynamic parameters of cloud and precipitation with multi-wavelength remote sensing)the National Key Program for Developing Basic Sciences under Grant 2012CB417202+1 种基金the Meteorological Special Project(study and data process and key technology for space-borne precipitation radar)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.40775021 and 41075098)
文摘A prototype space-based cloud radar has been a precipitation system over Tianjin, China in July developed and was installed on an airplane to observe 2010. Ground-based S-band and Ka-band radars were used to examine the observational capability of the prototype. A cross-comparison algorithm between different wavelengths, spatial resolutions and platform radars is presented. The reflectivity biases, correlation coefficients and standard deviations between the radars are analyzed. The equivalent reflectivity bias between the S- and Ka-band radars were simulated with a given raindrop size distribution. The results indicated that reflectivity bias between the S- and Ka-band radars due to scattering properties was less than 5 dB, and for weak precipitation the bias was negligible. The prototype space-based cloud radar was able to measure a reasonable vertical profile of reflectivity, but the reflectivity below an altitude of 1.5 km above ground level was obscured by ground clutter. The measured refiectivity by the prototype space-based cloud radar was approximately 10.9 dB stronger than that by the S-band Doppler radar （SA radar）, and 13.7 dB stronger than that by the ground-based cloud radar. The reflectivity measured by the SA radar was 0.4 dB stronger than that by the ground-based cloud radar. This study could provide a method for the quantitative examination of the observation ability for space-based radars.
基金funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 42305150 and 42325501)the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant No. 2023M741774)。
文摘Cloud base height(CBH) is a crucial parameter for cloud radiative effect estimates, climate change simulations, and aviation guidance. However, due to the limited information on cloud vertical structures included in passive satellite radiometer observations, few operational satellite CBH products are currently available. This study presents a new method for retrieving CBH from satellite radiometers. The method first uses the combined measurements of satellite radiometers and ground-based cloud radars to develop a lookup table(LUT) of effective cloud water content(ECWC), representing the vertically varying cloud water content. This LUT allows for the conversion of cloud water path to cloud geometric thickness(CGT), enabling the estimation of CBH as the difference between cloud top height and CGT. Detailed comparative analysis of CBH estimates from the state-of-the-art ECWC LUT are conducted against four ground-based millimeter-wave cloud radar(MMCR) measurements, and results show that the mean bias(correlation coefficient) is0.18±1.79 km(0.73), which is lower(higher) than 0.23±2.11 km(0.67) as derived from the combined measurements of satellite radiometers and satellite radar-lidar(i.e., Cloud Sat and CALIPSO). Furthermore, the percentages of the CBH biases within 250 m increase by 5% to 10%, which varies by location. This indicates that the CBH estimates from our algorithm are more consistent with ground-based MMCR measurements. Therefore, this algorithm shows great potential for further improvement of the CBH retrievals as ground-based MMCR are being increasingly included in global surface meteorological observing networks, and the improved CBH retrievals will contribute to better cloud radiative effect estimates.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos.41575048 and 91637105)
文摘In this study, an east-moving Tibetan Plateau vortex(TPV) is analyzed by using the ERA-5 reanalysis and multi-source satellite data, including FengYun-2 E, Aqua/MODIS and CALIPSO. The objective is to demonstrate:(i) the usefulness of multi-spectral satellite observations in understanding the evolution of a TPV and the associated rainfall, and(ii) the potential significance of cloud-top quantitative information in improving Southwest China weather forecasts. Results in this study show that the heavy rainfall is caused by the coupling of an east-moving TPV and some low-level weather systems [a Plateau shear line and a Southwest Vortex(SWV)], wherein the TPV is a key component. During the TPV's life cycle, the rainfall and vortex intensity maintain a significant positive correlation with the convective cloud-top fraction and height within a 2.5?radius away from its center. Moreover, its growth is found to be quite sensitive to the cloud phases and particle sizes. In the mature stage when the TPV is coupled with an SWV, an increase of small ice crystal particles and appearance of ring-and U/V-shaped cold cloud-top structures can be seen as the signature of a stronger convection and rainfall enhancement within the TPV. A tropopause folding caused by ageostrophic flows at the upper level may be a key factor in the formation of ring-shaped and U/V-shaped cloud-top structures. Based on these results, we believe that the supplementary quantitative information of an east-moving TPV cloud top collected by multi-spectral satellite observations could help to improve Southwest China short-range/nowcasting weather forecasts.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China[grant number 41530427],[grant number41590871]
文摘Based on Droplet Measurement Technologies data of a pre-stratiform-cloud precipitation event in Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province, on 11 November 2015, and combined with radar data, this paper comprehensively analyzes the macro-and microphysical characteristics of cloud in the upper trough.The results show that：（1） Detection takes place in the early stage of precipitation and the cloud has multiple layers. The cloud type is stratiform（Sc） and the height of the cloud base is 1009 m, 1009–1700 m is the low Sc layer, 1700–3000 m is the no-cloud level, and 3000 to the maximum height detected is another Sc layer.（2） The Sc is inhomogeneous in the horizontal and vertical directions.The particle number concentration and the effective diameter below the 0 °C layer is significantly higher than that above the 0 °C layer, which is in accordance with the ‘seeder–feeder＇ mechanism.Above the 0 °C layer is seeder cloud, where needle, column ice crystals and water droplets coexist,and sublimation and coalescence are the main processes. The morphology of ice crystals changes from needle to column, plate, and polymer as height decreases. Below the 0 °C warm layer is a supply cloud, and the particles develop in the supply cloud with abundant liquid water content. Ice melting and coalescence dominate the warm layer, which makes the effective diameter significantly increase. Down to 4150 m, the ice melts completely into raindrops.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China(41675029)Postgraduate Research&Practice Innovation Program of Jiangsu Province(KYCX18_0998)+1 种基金Science and Technology Program of Huzhou(2021GZ14,2020GZ31)Science and Technology(Key)Program of Zhejiang Meteorological Service(2021ZD27)。
文摘To analyze the effects of gas cannons on clouds and precipitation,multisource observational data,including those from National Centers for Environmental Prediction(NCEP)reanalysis,Hangzhou and Huzhou new-generation weather radars,laser disdrometer,ground-based automatic weather station,wind profiler radar,and Lin'an C-band dualpolarization radar,were adopted in this study.Based on the variational dual-Doppler wind retrieval method and the polarimetric variables obtained by the dual-polarization radar,we analyzed the microphysical processes and the variations in the macro-and microphysical quantities in clouds from the perspective of the synoptic background before precipitation enhancement,the polarization echo characteristics before,during and after enhancement,and the evolution of the fine three-dimensional kinematic structure and the microphysical structure.The results show that the precipitation enhancement operation promoted the development of radar echoes and prolonged their duration,and both the horizontal and vertical wind speeds increased.The dual-polarization radar echo showed that the diameter of the precipitation particles increased,and the concentration of raindrops increased after precipitation enhancement.The raindrops were lifted to a height corresponding to 0 to-20℃due to vertical updrafts.Based on the disdrometer data during precipitation enhancement,the concentration of small raindrops(lgN_(w))showed a significant increase,and the mass-weighted diameter D_(m)value decreased,indicating that the precipitation enhancement operation played a certain“lubricating”effect.After the precipitation enhancement,the concentration of raindrops did not change much compared with that during the enhancement process,while the Dm increased,corresponding to an increase in rain intensity.The results suggest the positive effect of gas cannons on precipitation enhancement.
文摘Aircraft observations of electrical conductivity and cloud microphsical, dynamical and other electrical parameters were made in warm stratocumulus and cumulus clouds forming during the summer monsoon seasons (June-September) of 1983 and 1985 in the Deccan Plateau region, India. A Gerdien type cylindrical condenser was used for the measurement of electrical conductivity. The variations in the electrical conductivity are observed to be closely associated with the updrafts and downdrafts in the cloud, liquid water content, cloud droplet charge and corona discharge current. The value of electrical conductivity in warm clouds is found to be in the order of 10-12 ohm-1 m-1 which is two orders higher than that observed in clear-air at cloud-base levels in some regions by other investigators.Classical static electricity concepts predict reduced conductivity values inside clouds. Cloud electrical conductivity measurements, particularly in warm clouds are few and the results are contradictory. The recently identified mechanism of vertical mixing in clouds lends support to convective charge separation mechanism with inherent larger than clear-air values for cloud electrical conductivity and therefore consistent with the measurements reported herein.
文摘The data series of monthly clouldiness over global ocean from COADS was compared with that of from satellite Nimbus-7 during April 1979 to March 1985. The correspondence between them is good. Both the two methods of observation can provide useful information of the distribution of cloudiness and the two data sets can be mutually complementary.
基金Supported by National Natural Science Fund(41475121)Science and Technology Plan Item of Hebei Province(17227001D)
文摘An aircraft precipitation operation and detecting was implemented by Hebei Weather Modification Office over Shijiazhuang City during18:18-19:37 on April 2,2014. The detecting area was near 500 hP a of high-altitude trough and surface inverted trough. Slight shower had appeared in Tianjin( rear of inverted trough) and Shanxi Province( near the inverted trough) at 20:00,while there was not precipitation in Hebei Province which was near the inverted trough. Analysis showed that the water vapor supply was not enough below 550 hP a in south-central Hebei Province,and cloud system development condition was poor. The cold cloud developed better,but there was not warm cloud,causing no precipitation on the ground.
基金support from the Strategic Pilot Science and Technology project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant No.XDA05040200)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.41275040)
文摘It has been several years since the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite （GOSAT） began to observe the distribution of CO2 and CH4 over the globe from space. Results from Thermal and Near-infrared Sensor for Carbon Observation-Cloud and Aerosol Imager （TANSO-CAI） cloud screening are necessary for the retrieval of CO2 and CH4 gas concentrations for GOSAT TANSO-Fourier Transform Spectrometer （FTS） observations. In this study, TANSO-CAI cloud flag data were compared with ground-based cloud data collected by an all-sky imager （ASI） over Beijing from June 2009 to May 2012 to examine the data quality. The results showed that the CAI has an obvious cloudy tendency bias over Beijing, especially in winter. The main reason might be that heavy aerosols in the sky are incorrectly determined as cloudy pixels by the CAI algorithm. Results also showed that the CAI algorithm sometimes neglects some high thin cirrus cloud over this area.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(60872065)the Open Foundation of Key Laboratory of Meteorological Disaster of Ministry of Education at Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology(KLME1108)the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions
文摘Objective and accurate classification model or method of cloud image is a prerequisite for accurate weather monitoring and forecast.Thus safety of aircraft taking off and landing and air flight can be guaranteed.Thresholding is a kind of simple and effective method of cloud classification.It can realize automated ground-based cloud detection and cloudage observation.The existing segmentation methods based on fixed threshold and single threshold cannot achieve good segmentation effect.Thus it is difficult to obtain the accurate result of cloud detection and cloudage observation.In view of the above-mentioned problems,multi-thresholding methods of ground-based cloud based on exponential entropy/exponential gray entropy and uniform searching particle swarm optimization(UPSO)are proposed.Exponential entropy and exponential gray entropy make up for the defects of undefined value and zero value in Shannon entropy.In addition,exponential gray entropy reflects the relative uniformity of gray levels within the cloud cluster and background cluster.Cloud regions and background regions of different gray level ranges can be distinguished more precisely using the multi-thresholding strategy.In order to reduce computational complexity of original exhaustive algorithm for multi-threshold selection,the UPSO algorithm is adopted.It can find the optimal thresholds quickly and accurately.As a result,the real-time processing of segmentation of groundbased cloud image can be realized.The experimental results show that,in comparison with the existing groundbased cloud image segmentation methods and multi-thresholding method based on maximum Shannon entropy,the proposed methods can extract the boundary shape,textures and details feature of cloud more clearly.Therefore,the accuracies of cloudage detection and morphology classification for ground-based cloud are both improved.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 40805056)the National Key Technologies R&D Program of China (Grant No. 2006BAC12B00)
文摘The microphysical "three-layer" model for stratiform clouds over a midlatitude location in Northwest China is investigated by combining in situ airborne Particle Measuring Systems, Inc. (PMS), radar measurements, and the NCAR/Penn State Mesoscale Model Version 5 (MM5) simulation with a two-moment microphysics scheme. The coexistence of measured supercooled liquid water and small ice particles produces snow particles below the cloud top in the second layer. Peak number concentration and mean diameter of cloud water and raindrop appear in the third warm layer. A thin dry layer just below the melting layer is also observed. The predicted precipitation is tested by equitable threat score. The melting layer is clearly defined in the radar image and model radar reflectivity output is agreement with the observations. The model results provide features of the microphysical structure for every layer of "three-layer" model at Yan'an station. For both observation and model simulation, the "three-layer" model explains the stratiform precipitation formation completely and comprehensively.
文摘The physical characteristics of the summer monsoon clouds were investigated. The results of a simple cloud model were compared with the aircraft cloud physical observations collected during the summer monsoon seasons of 1973, 1974, 1976 and 1981 in the Deccan Plateau region.The model predicted profiles of cloud liquid water content (LWC) are in agreement with the observed profiles. There is reasonable agreement between the model predicted cloud vertical thickness and observed rainfall.The observed cloud-drop spectra were found to be narrow and the concentration of drops with diameter > 20um is either low or absent on many occasions. In such clouds the rain-formation cannot take place under natural atmospheric conditions due to the absence of collision-coalescence process. A comparison of the model predicted and observed rainfall suggested that the precipitation efficiency in cumulus clouds of small vertical thickness could be as low as 20 per cent.The clouds forming in the Deccan Plateau region during the summer monsoon are, by and large, cumulus and strato-cumulus type. The vertical thickness of the cumulus clouds is in the range of 1.0-2.0 km. The LWC is found to be more in the region between 1.6-1.9 km A. S. L. , which corresponds to the level at almost 3 / 4 th of the total vertical thickness of the cloud and thereafter the LWC sharply decreased. Nearly 98 per cent of the tops of the low clouds in the region are below freezing level and the most frequent range of occurrence of these cloud-tops is in the range of 2.0-3.0 km A. S. L. The dominant physical mechanism of rain-formation in these summer monsoon clouds is the collision-coalescence process.
基金National Meteorological Information Centerfunded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 40775021)+2 种基金the National Key Basic Research and Development Project of China (Grant No. 2004CB418305)National 863 plans project "Re-search on Application System of Airborne Radar"the meteorological project "Tropical West Pacific Ocean Observation and Predictability"
文摘Millimeter-wavelength radar has proved to be an effective instrument for cloud observation and research. In this study, 8-mm-wavelength cloud radar （MMCR） with Doppler and polarization capabilities was used to investigate cloud dynamics in China for the first time. Its design, system specifications, calibration, and application in measuring clouds associated with typhoon are discussed in this article. The cloud radar measurements of radar reflectivity （Z）, Doppler velocity （Vr）, velocity spectrum width （Sw） and the depolar-ization ratio （LDR） at vertical incidence were used to analyze the microphysical and dynamic processes of the cloud system and precipitation associated with Typhoon Nuri, which occurred in southern China in August 2008. The results show the reflectivity observed using MMCR to be consistent with the echo height and the melting-layer location data obtained by the nearby China S-band new-generation weather radar （SA）, but the Ka-band MMCR provided more detailed structural information about clouds and weak precipitation data than did the SA radar. The variation of radar reflectivity and LDR in vertical structure reveals the transformation of particle phase from ice to water. The vertical velocity and velocity spectrum width of MMCR observations indicate an updraft and strong turbulence in the stratiform cloud layer. MMCR provides a valuable new technology for meteorological research in China.
文摘Cloud cavitation shows an unsteady periodic tendency under a certain flow condition. In a cavitating water jet flow with cavitation clouds, the cavities or the clouds produce high impact at their collapse. In order to make clear a mechanism of the periodic cavity behavior, we experimentally examine the behavior in a transparent cylindrical convergent-divergent nozzle using a high-speed video camera. An effect of upstream pressure fluctuation due to a plunger pump is investigated from a viewpoint of unsteady behavior in a cavitating water jet. As a result, it is found that the cavitating flow has two kinds of oscillation patterns in the cavity length (cavitation cloud region). One is due to the upstream pressure fluctuation caused by the plunger pump. The other is much shorter periodic motion related to the characteristic oscillation of cavitation clouds accompanied with the shrinking (reentrant), growing and shedding motion of the clouds.
基金This work was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China[grant number 2017YFC1501700]the National Natural Science Foundation of China[grant number 41575033].
文摘Ground-based microwave radiometers profilers(MWRPs)have been used in numerical weather prediction(NWP)systems and show different impacts on forecasts.Currently,there are around hundreds of ground-based MWPRs used in weather stations over China;however,the application of MWPRs in NWP systems is rather limited.In this work,two MWRP retrieved profiles were assimilated into the Weather Research and Forecasting(WRF)model for a rainstorm event that occurred in Beijing,China.The quality of temperature and humidity profiles retrieved from the MWRP was evaluated against radiosonde observations and showed the reliability of the two MWRP products.Then,comparisons between the measurements of ground-based rain gauges and the corresponding forecasted precipitation in different periods of the rainstorm were investigated.The results showed that assimilating the two MWRPs affected the distribution and intensity of rainfall,especially in the early stage of the rainstorm.With the development of the rainstorm,adding MWRP data showed only a slight influence on the precipitation during the stable and mature period of the rainstorm,since the two MWRP observations were too limited to affect the large area of heavy rainfall.
文摘Although it is well known that cloud cavitation shows unsteady behavior with the growing motion of an attached cavity, the shedding motion of a cloud, the collapsing motion of the cloud shed downstream and a reentrant motion in flow fields such as on a 2-D hydrofoil and in a convergent- divergent channel with a rectangular cross-section, observations for the periodic behavior of cloud cavitation in a cylindrical nozzle with a convergent-divergent part, which is mainly used in an industrial field, have hardly been conducted. From engineering viewpoints, it is important to elucidate the mechanism of periodic cavitation behavior in a cylindrical nozzle. In this study, a high-speed observation technique with an image analysis technique was applied to the cloud cavitation behavior in the nozzle to make clear the mechanism of unsteady behavior. As a result, it was observed in the nozzle that the periodic behavior occurs in the cloud cavitation and pressure waves form at the collapse of clouds shed downstream. Also, it was found through the image analysis based on the present technique that the pressure wave plays a role as a trigger mechanism to cause a reentrant motion at the downstream end of an attached cavity.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(42205044)National Key Research and Development Program of China(2024YFF1308202)+2 种基金Fengyun Application Pioneer Project(FY-APP-2022.0111)Project for the Capacity Construction of Weather Modification in Southwest China[SCIT-ZG(Z)-2024100001]Wuxi University Research Start-up Fund for Introduced Talents(2024r045)。
文摘Cloud water plays an important role in the global atmospheric water cycle and weather modification,but cloud is one of the most uncertain parameters in the study of weather and climate.The cloud water products from different data sources may have considerable discrepancies.In this study,the total cloud liquid water(termed as cloud liquid water path,LWP)obtained from satellite observations[Advanced Himawari Imager(AHI)and Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer(AMSR)]and three sets of modern reanalysis data(ERA5,JRA-55,and MERRA-2)are compared and analyzed.Moreover,characteristics of vertical distributions of cloud liquid water content(LWC)in different regions over East Asia are analyzed by using the profile data from the reanalyses.The main findings are as follows:(1)in extensive warm marine clouds,AHI and AMSR have a good agreement(with the correlation coefficient larger than 0.7)but with an overestimation from AHI;(2)under warm cloud conditions,the LWP in ERA5shows a significant positive bias(about 0.065 kg m^(-2))over land,while MERRA-2 is closer to the satellite product compared with ERA5 and JRA-55;and(3)Southwest China(SW)is the area with most abundant LWC.The LWC is mainly concentrated in the middle and lower troposphere in the study area,and the LWC in ERA5 is higher than that in MERRA-2 and JRA-55.Overall,satellite observations and reanalyses exhibit significant inconsistency for cloud LWP,which needs further investigation and understanding.
基金supported by the NSFC (National Natural Science Foundation of China) Project (11573052)
文摘When strong solar activities and geomagnetic storms happen, satellite communications and navigation system will be strongly disturbed. It is of great significance to monitor ionospheric disturbances,because empirical models cannot capture ionospheric anomalous disturbances well. Nowadays, dualfrequency GPS(Global Positioning System) observations can be used to estimate the ionospheric total electron content, correct the ionospheric delay and analyze the response of the ionosphere to geomagnetic storms. In this paper, the ionospheric response to the geomagnetic storm occurred in March 2015 is investigated using GPS observations provided by Crustal Movement of Observation Network of China. The result shows that this storm increases the electron density in the ionosphere quickly and disrupts the structure of the northern equatorial anomaly region at the beginning. In the main process stage, compared with that in the quite periods, the VTEC(Vertical Total Electron Content)around the longitude of 120°E decreases by 50% and the amount of depletion is larger in the high latitude region than that in the low latitude region. We also find the height of the peak electron density in F2 layer increases during the geomagnetic storm from the electron density profiles derived from GPS occultation mission.
