摘要
The GPS technology shows dramatic ability in monitoring the atmospheric water vapor. Based on the GPS datafrom Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) and Hubei GPS network, the precipitable water (PW) over theQinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) and over the middle Yangtze River Valley (YRV) is calculated and compared. Theresults show that the southern QTP is wetter than the central part because of the barring effect of the Plateau on themonsoon. The PW is larger in summer than other months over either the QTP or the middle YRV. The diurnalvariation of PW over the QTP is more complex than that of the middle YRV with fluctuations during the whole daydue to its unique topography. The minimum PW over both the QTP and the middle YRV appears in the morning;however, the peak over the QTP occurs in the night while that over the middle YRV in the early afternoon.Furthermore, the PW over the QTP, especially its southern and eastern edges have a positive correlation with thatover the middle YRV. This may imply that the southern and eastern Plateau are the key regions transportingatmospheric vapor to the middle YRV, indicating the possibility to find early warning signals resulting from theintensification of the QTP atmospheric vapor leading to heavy rainfall events over the middle YRV.