@article{li_moseley_prein_chen_li_furtado_zhou_2020,
title={Mesoscale convective system precipitation characteristics over East Asia. Part I: regional differences and seasonal variations},
DOI={10.1175/jcli-d-20-0072.1},
abstractNote={Abstract
Mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) play an important role in modulating the global water cycle and energy balance and frequently generate high-impact weather events. The majority of existing literature studying MCS activity over East Asia is based on specific case studies and more climatological investigations revealing the precipitation characteristics of MCSs over eastern China are keenly needed. In this study, we use an iterative rain cell tracking method to identify and track MCS precipitation during 2008-16, to investigate regional differences and seasonal variations of MCS precipitation characteristics. Our results show that the middle-to-lower reaches of the Yangtze River basin (YRB-ML) receives the largest amount and exhibits the most pronounced seasonal cycle of MCS precipitation in eastern China. MCS precipitation over YRB-ML can exceed 2.6 mm d-1 in June, contributing over 30.0% of April to July total rainfall. Particularly long-lived MCSs occur over the eastern periphery of the Tibetan Plateau (ETP), 25% of MCSs over the ETP persist for more than 18 hours in spring. In addition, spring MCSs feature larger rainfall areas, longer durations and faster propagation speeds. Summer MCSs have a higher precipitation intensity, and more pronounced diurnal cycle except for southeastern China, where MCSs have similar precipitation intensity in spring and summer. There is less MCS precipitation in autumn, but an MCS precipitation center over the ETP still persists. MCSs reach peak hourly rainfall intensities during the time of maximum growth (a few hours after genesis), reach their maximum size around 5 hours after genesis, and start decaying thereafter.},
publisher={American Meteorological Society},
author={Li, Puxi and Moseley, Christopher and Prein, Andreas F. and Chen, Haoming and Li, Jian and Furtado, Kalli and Zhou, Tianjun},
year={2020},
month={Aug}
}