Analysis of Cloud Top Parameters on the Qinghai-XizangTibet) Plateau and Their Application in Airship Research 

Expand
  • 1. Aerospace Information Research InstituteChinese Academy of SciencesBeijing 100094China
    2. University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing 101408China

Online published: 2025-06-16

Abstract

Stratospheric airshipsdue to their excellent performanceexhibit great potential in flight missions within the aerospace field. Howeverthe complexity of the stratospheric environment presents significant challenges to flight safety. Thereforeconducting environmental forecasts in advance to mitigate flight risks is crucial for the successful completion of airship missions. Although existing thermodynamic models have provided a theoretical foundation for airship designtheir analysis remains insufficient. In this papertwo key parameterscloud top height and cloud top temperatureare introduced to deeply analyze their effects on the airship's thermal balance. Cloud top height determines the relative position between the cloud layer and the airshipwhile cloud top temperature directly reflects the thermodynamic state of the cloud layer. Both parameters influence the radiative exchange and thermal balance of the airship. Based on this analysisthe importance and urgency of incorporating these factors into thermodynamic models are emphasizedoffering new insights for the optimization of future air‐ ship thermodynamic models and revealing the significance of studying cloud layer distribution characteristics. Additionallythe unique advantages of the Qinghai-XizangTibetPlateau as a natural laboratory are highlight‐ edand specific data analysis is conducted. This paper analyzes historical meteorological cloud observation data from 2015 to 2020 in the Qinghai-XizangTibetPlateau region using the CLARA-A3 datasetfocusing on the spatial distribution characteristicsdaily mean and extreme valuescloud area proportionsand the correlation analysis between cloud top height and cloud top temperature. The results show that cloud top height exhibits a spatial distribution pattern of lower in the northwest and higher in the southeastwhile cloud top temperature shows a trend of higher in the west and lower in the east. During the period from July to Septembercloud top height reaches its highest annual valueand cloud top temperature reaches its lowest. The annual variation pattern of the cloud top parameters is also confirmed. Further analysis indicates the presence of extreme meteorological phenomenasuch as ultra-high clouds and extremely low temperatureswith daily cloud top heights exceeding 18 km and cloud top temperatures below -83 ℃which mostly occur between July and September. A Spearman correlation coefficient analysis reveals a moderate negative correlation between the two variableswith a strong negative correlation during the July-September period. This provides important data support for further quantifying the influence of cloud layers on airship performance. The study shows that the potential threat of cloud layers to air‐ ships cannot be ignoredparticularly during the July-September periodwhen the deployment preparation for stratospheric airships should focus on the changes in local meteorological cloud parameters. Acquiring cloud observation data in advance and implementing meteorological forecasting preparation are key factors in ensuring the safe flight of airships. This research is the first to apply real meteorological data analysis to airship flight environment assessmentverifying the feasibility of data analysis techniquesand emphasizing the critical role of observational data in model validationproviding a new research perspective for improving the thermodynamic models of stratospheric airships. In the futurewith the continuous optimization of dynamic prediction modelsthe safety of airships in complex meteorological environments is expected to be significantly improved.

Cite this article

YANG Molan, XU Wenkuan, BI Yitong, LÜ Weihao, YANG Yanchu, MIAO Jinggang . Analysis of Cloud Top Parameters on the Qinghai-XizangTibet) Plateau and Their Application in Airship Research [J]. Plateau Meteorology, 0 : 1 . DOI: 10.7522/j.issn.1000-0534.2025.00054

Outlines

/