Meteorological characteristics in upstream regions of the Qira River, Kunlun Mountains, China

The meteorological characteristics at Kartash were investigated using surface data obtained in situ during a 6-year period from September 1991 to August 1997. Kartash is located in the upstream regions of the Qira River,Kunlun Mountains, and its elevation is about 2800 m a.s.l. Local circulation occurs constantly in this area, and wind direction switches frequently throughout the year: northeasterly during the day, to southwesterly at night, along a streamline of the slope. In the monsoon season from May to August, the heaviest rainfall occurs between 1700-2300 (Beijing time) when upstream wind blows as a result of the local circulation. A comparison of monthly air temperatures between Kartash and Qira reveals that the local circulation in summer contains dry air over the desert, and a cold air mass is formed at the foot of the mountains during the winter months.