Some Characteristics of the Summer Circulation Over the Qinghai-Xizang (Tibet) Plateau and Its Neighborhood

Horizontal and vertical circulation patterns over the Qinghai-Xizang (Tibet) plateau during summer, derived from meteorological observations, are compared with results from rotating annulus experiments. There are several striking features during the season when the plateau acts as a huge elevated heat source: 1) a heat low dominates the planetary boundary layer over the plateau; 2) this heat low is broken up into several cells, giving rise to shear-line development; 3) surrounding the heat low is an anticyclonic belt; 4) the northern and southern portions of this belt approach each other as one proceeds into the upper troposphere and finally merge into a large anticyclone over the plateau; and 5) significant circulation cells appear in meridional and zonal cross sections, attesting to the strong influence of the plateau on the general circulation of the atmosphere.