Seasonal transition characteristics of the westerly jet: Study based on field observations at an altitude of 6900 m on the Mt. Xixiabangma Dasuopu glacier

To better understand ultra-high-altitude climate characteristics and their changes, an automatic weather station was installed on August 4, 2005 on the Mt. Xixiabangma Dasuopu glacier (28°23.04′N, 85°43.72′E, 6900 m a.s.l.) in the middle of the Himalayas. Mountain weather conditions were observed continuously and automatically. This paper is the first to publish meteorological data for a whole year for a high-elevation region, and analyze wind direction, wind speed, air temperature, air pressure and humidity. Analysis of the observation data reveals that this region was strongly influenced by the westerly jet from October 10, 2005 to April 21, 2006 and by the Indian monsoon from May to September. The seasonal transitions of the westerly jet were characterized by changes in meteorological elements. In winter, influenced by the westerly jet, the wind speed in the study region was very high and fluctuated violently, gale days were frequent, temperature and air pressure fluctuated dramatically, the diurnal range of temperature decreased and the diurnal range of air pressure increased, relative humidity and specific humidity declined sharply, and air was dry. In summer, influenced by the Indian monsoon, the relative humidity and specific humidity were high. In addition, we analyzed reanalysis data for the location of the automatic weather station. The results confirmed that this region was strongly affected by the westerly jet from October 10, 2005 to April 21, 2006 and the observations that the seasonal transitions of the westerly jet were characterized by changes in meteorological elements.