Impact of dust-polluted convective clouds over the Tibetan Plateau on downstream precipitation

Based on satellite observations and reanalysis datasets, this study focuses on the effect of aerosols on clouds over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) and the impact of dust-polluted convective clouds on precipitation over downstream regions. A heavy dust event is detected by Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) over the northern slope of the TP on 16 July and 17 July 2016. The high aerosol optical depth (AOD) values are mainly distributed over the northern slope of the TP. Simultaneously, the CloudSat satellite observes deep convective clouds over the northern slope area of the TP, in which convective clouds and dust mix at the same height. With the AOD increasing from 16 July to its peak on 17 July, the ice particle size decreases to a minimum, and convective clouds develop at higher heights because of the prolonged cloud life. Accordingly, a larger ice water path (IWP) is induced by the development of convective clouds that move eastwardly from 16 to 17 July. In the following days, under favorable meteorological conditions, some of the developed convective clouds continuously move eastward and merge with the convective cloud clusters along the motion path, which induces significant precipitation over the Yangtze River basin on 17 July. Furthermore, driven by the northward wind, some developed convective cloud clusters move northward and induce strong precipitation over North China on 19 July. The indirect effect of dust aerosols over the TP could enhance the plateau's cloud development and potentially contribute to downstream precipitation, which is a meaningful factor for weather forecasting.