Analysis of Diurnal and Seasonal Variations of Atmospheric Characteristics in Wuhan

  Objectives  Atmospheric temperature and humidity are important parameters to describe the dynamic and thermal state of the atmosphere. We analyzed the diurnal and seasonal variations of temperature and humidity profiles, atmospheric boundary layer height (ABLH), and liquid water path (LWP) profiles measured by microwave radiometer in Wuhan.

  Methods  The detection results of radio sounding and RPG-HATPRO microwave radiometer were compared in the absence and presence of clouds. Then, the diurnal and seasonal variations of meteorological elements from 2011 to 2015 were analyzed to realize the thermodynamic characterization of the tropospheric atmosphere in Wuhan.

  Results  The temperature and humidity observation accuracy obtained by the microwave radiometer inversion would vary due to different weather conditions. When using products of microwave radiometer, the influence of cloud should be considered. ABLH began to increase in the morning, reached its highest value at 15:00, then decreased and remained stable throughout the night. The content of liquid water path is higher at night than that during the day, and higher in winter than in summer. Relative humidity (RH) rose with the increase of altitude at 0-1 km, and then decreased.

  Conclusions  The diurnal and seasonal variations of meteorological parameters in Wuhan are observed and analyzed, which provides reliable information for meteorological exploration, air pollution research, air quality monitoring, and weather forecast.