The influence of orography and the direction of prevailing winds on precipitation distributions

TL;DR

This paper examines how orography and prevailing wind directions influence precipitation patterns, highlighting the significant role of mountain barriers and suggesting new algorithmic approaches for improved forecasting.

Contribution

It introduces a novel perspective on the impact of orography and wind direction on precipitation distribution and proposes developing specialized algorithms for better prediction.

Findings

Orographic effects account for 50-60% of monthly precipitation variability.

Westerly winds in Russia significantly influence precipitation patterns.

Current measurement methods for orographic effects are inadequate.

Abstract

The general circulation of the atmosphere (GCA) carries out a constant and unidirectional transfer of air masses, therefore its influence is manifested in the distribution of precipitation around the globe due to the occurrence of rain shadow behind mountain barriers. Over the territory of Russia, GCA manifests itself in the form of westerly winds, which cause a decrease in precipitation on the leeward side of the Ural Mountains and the Central Siberian Plateau. The contribution of the orographic component to the spatial variability of precipitation on average reaches 50-60% of the monthly precipitation amounts. Forecasting the magnitude of the orographic effect is close to predicting the transfer rates in GCA, the measurement of which has not yet been satisfactorily provided. A possible promising way to solve the problem is to develop special algorithms similar to those used for detecting Madden-Julian oscillations.