Study on the Changes of Water Vapor over Hexi Corridor and Adjacent Regions

The water vapor in the air over the Hexi Corridor on the northeastern side of the Qilian Mountains and adjacent regions and its transport characteristics were studied using the upper-air and surface data observed in many years. The sources of water vapor and its transport pathways were explored. The results show that: (1) The Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is a source area of water vapor directly supplied to the Hexi region and the westerly airflow is the main transport of water vapor to the region. (2) The center of the transport intensity of water vapor over the Hexi region occurs near the height of 500 hPa and the maximum daily change of water vapor occurs between 700 and 600 hPa, which is quite different from the changes of water vapor transport and the maximum daily changes of water vapor over the eastern China. (3) During the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s, the moisture content in the air over the Hexi region exhibited a significant decrease trend, but from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s, it tended to increase. Such a variation trend appears to be consistent in winter and spring and is particularly evident in the transition period between winter and spring.