Hourly Atmospheric Heat Source Data for the Tibetan Plateau in 2020

2020 data provides hourly estimates of atmospheric diabatic heating over the Tibetan Plateau. The dataset was constructed by Li Zhaoyang using Fengyun-4A geostationary observations and a direct calculation method to address temporal aliasing in polar-orbiting data. It captures rapid sub-daily thermal variations critical for monsoon studies.

Use Cases

• Analyze the diurnal heating cycle by examining hourly heat source variations across the plateau.
• Validate reanalysis turbulent flux parameterizations by comparing sub-daily heating intensity.
• Study thermodynamic hysteresis by correlating hourly heating data with monsoon onset timing.
• Quantify the plateau's heat engine intensity using spatially continuous heating estimates for 2020.

Strengths

• Hourly temporal resolution addresses diurnal cycle undersampling from polar orbiters.
• Seamless spatial coverage for the entire Tibetan Plateau region.
• Validated against observations for capturing rapid thermal variations.

Limitations

• Limited temporal scope to a single year (2020).
• Small dataset size (661.6 KB) indicates limited spatial or temporal granularity.
• Relies on a single satellite (Fengyun-4A) and specific calculation method, which may introduce systematic biases.

Provenance

Source

Fengyun-4A geostationary satellite observations.

Collection Method

Integration of geostationary data with a direct calculation method for atmospheric heat source.

Time Range

2020

Freshness

Last updated April 2026, but data is for 2020.

Geography

Tibetan Plateau