Sciences in Cold and Arid Regions ›› 2021, Vol. 13 ›› Issue (6): 488-495.doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1226.2021.21001

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Satellite-measured water vapor isotopologues across the Tianshan Mountains, central Asia

ShengJie Wang1,2,Yang Song1,2,MingJun Zhang1,2(),Athanassios A. Argiriou3,YuDong Shi1,2   

  1. 1.College of Geography and Environmental Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730070, China
    2.Key Laboratory of Resource Environment and Sustainable Development of Oasis of Gansu Province, Lanzhou, Gansu 730070, China
    3.Laboratory of Atmospheric Physics, Department of Physics, University of Patras, GR -26500 Patras, Greece
  • Received:2021-01-05 Accepted:2021-06-07 Online:2021-12-31 Published:2022-01-11
  • Contact: MingJun Zhang E-mail:mjzhang2004@163.com
  • Supported by:
    the National Natural Science Foundation of China(41971034);the Foundation for Distinguished Young Scholars of Gansu Province(20JR10RA112);the Northwest Normal University(NWNU-LKZD2021-04)

Abstract:

The satellite-based water vapor stable isotope measurements have been widely used in modern hydrological and atmospheric studies. Their use is important for arid areas where the precipitation events are limited, and below-cloud evaporation is strong. This study presents the spatial and temporal characteristics of water vapor isotopologue across the Tianshan Mountains in arid central Asia using the NASA Aura Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES). The near-surface water vapor stable isotopes are enriched in summer and depleted in winter, consistent with the seasonality of precipitation isotopes. From the surface to 200 hPa, the isotope values in water vapor show a decreasing trend as the atmospheric pressure decreases and elevation rises. The vapor isotope values in the lower atmosphere in the southern basin of the Tianshan Mountains are usually higher than that in the northern basin, and the seasonal difference in vapor isotopes is slightly more significant in the southern basin. In addition, bottom vapor isotopologue in summer shows a depletion trend from west to east, consistent with the rainout effect of the westerly moisture path in central Asia. The isotopic signature provided by the TES is helpful to understand the moisture transport and below-cloud processes influencing stable water isotopes in meteoric water.

Key words: water vapor isotopes, satellite measurement, Tianshan Mountains, central Asia

Figure 1

Location of the Tianshan Mountains in central Asia"

Figure 2

Box plot showing the monthly variations of precipitable water amount (PW) across the Tianshan Mountains (The top and bottom of a box represent the 25th and 75th percentiles, and the horizontal line within a box represents the median; the whiskers show the 90th and 10th percentiles, and the empty points above and below the whiskers are the 95th and 5th percentiles)"

Figure 3

Vertical profiles of δ2H in water vapor across the Tianshan Mountains: (a) January 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008, (b) July 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2010"

Figure 4

Monthly variation of the vertical profile of δ2H in water vapor in 2007 across the Tianshan Mountains"

Figure 5

Spatial distribution of δ2H in water vapor at 825 hPa (a, b and c) and 681 hPa (d, e and f) in January 2007 (a and d) and July 2007 (b and e) and their difference (c and f) across the Tianshan Mountains"

Figure 6

Monthly variations of δ2H in water vapor at 825 hPa (a and b) and 681 hPa (c and d) in 2007 for different latitudes (a and c) and longitudes (b and d) across the Tianshan Mountains"

Figure 7

Variations of the vertical profile of δ2H in water vapor in 2007 for different north latitudes (a and c) and east longitudes (b and d) across the Tianshan Mountains"

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