AUTHOR=Lei Ting , Jin Chenxi , Qi Chen 

TITLE=Spatio-temporal characteristics of hazardous weather affecting Chinese airports based on the ERA5/ERA5-land reanalysis dataset

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Climate

VOLUME=Volume 4 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/climate/articles/10.3389/fclim.2022.835362

DOI=10.3389/fclim.2022.835362

ISSN=2624-9553

ABSTRACT=The growing demand for air transportation has led to increased air traffic and airline operations at airports worldwide, while hazardous weather conditions have a considerable impact on the efficiency and safety of air traffic. The long-term and high-resolution state-of-art fifth-generation reanalysis of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) (ERA5) and ERA5-land provide us a perspective on the climatological characteristics of hazardous weathers affecting Chinese airports. These hazardous weather conditions include low-level wind shear (LLWS), limited visibility (LIMV), thunderstorm (TSTM), and snowfall (SNOW). The LLWS is frequent in winter but rare in summer. At the airports in the north of eastern China, managers should take more concerns on the LLWS in February-March and October-November. The LIMV is vital hazardous weather in the south of eastern China that should be carefully monitored in winter, especially in December-January. In northwestern China, the LIMV is rare, especially at Yinchuan and Lanzhou airports. The TSTM frequently occurs in South China and Southwest China, especially in Yunnan, Guangxi, Guangdong, and eastern Tibet. The corresponding active period is summer. The SNOW frequently occurs over the Tibet Plateau and parts of Xinjiang province. The SNOW is generally active in the early winter (December-January) at Urumchi airport but Lhasa airport in late winter (February-March). There is no SNOW throughout the year in the south of eastern China. The observations also verify such characteristics of the annual cycles of the four hazardous weathers. Trend analysis does not express many warnings on hazardous weathers except the SNOW. The SNOW at Lhasa airport shows an increased trend. Considering the frequent SNOW in Lhasa, more attention should be put on monitoring this weather here.