Linear trend and abrupt changes of climate indices in the arid region of northwestern China

Purpose Literature contends that not much is known about smallholder farmers’ perceptions of climate variability and the impacts thereof on agricultural practices in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Africa in particular. The purpose of this study is to examine the perceptions of smallholder farmers from Botlokwa (a semi-arid region in South Africa) on climate variability in relation to climatological evidence. Design/methodology/approach The study area is in proximity to a meteorological station and comprises mainly rural farmers, involved in rain-fed subsistence agriculture. Focus group discussions and closed-ended questionnaires covering demographics and perceptions were administered to 125 purposely sampled farmers. To assess farmers’ perceptions of climate variability, their responses were compared with linear trend and variability of historical temperature and rainfall data (1985-2015). Descriptive statistics were used to provide insights into respondents’ perceptions. Findings About 64% of the farmers perceived climate variability that was consistent with the meteorological data, whereas 36% either held contrary observations or were unable to discern. Age, level of education, farming experience and accessibility to information influenced the likelihood of farmers to correctly perceive climate variability. No significant differences in perception based on gender were observed. This study concludes that coping and adaption strategies of over one-third of the farmers could be negatively impacted by wrong perceptions of climate variability. Originality/value This study highlights discrepancies in perceptions among farmers with similar demographic characteristics. To guarantee sustainability of the sector, intervention by government and other key stakeholders to address underlying factors responsible for observed discrepancies is recommended.

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Diverse nodule bacteria were associated with Astragalus species in arid region of northwestern China

Journal of Basic Microbiology ◽

10.1002/jobm.201300209 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 55 (1) ◽

pp. 121-128 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Weimin Chen ◽

Liangliang Sun ◽

Jianjun Lu ◽

Liangliang Bi ◽

Entao Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Arid Region ◽

Northwestern China ◽

Nodule Bacteria

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Spatially explicit estimation of domestic water use in the arid region of northwestern China: 1985–2009

Hydrological Sciences Journal ◽

10.1080/02626667.2012.745081 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 58 (1) ◽

pp. 162-176 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Bin Guo ◽

Yaning Chen ◽

Yanjun Shen ◽

Weihong Li ◽

Chengben Wu

Keyword(s):

Water Use ◽

Arid Region ◽

Northwestern China ◽

Spatially Explicit ◽

Domestic Water

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Evidence for Elevation-Dependent Warming in the St. Elias Mountains, Yukon, Canada

Journal of Climate ◽

10.1175/jcli-d-19-0405.1 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 33 (8) ◽

pp. 3253-3269 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Scott N. Williamson ◽

Christian Zdanowicz ◽

Faron S. Anslow ◽

Garry K. C. Clarke ◽

Luke Copland ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Radiative Forcing ◽

Linear Trend ◽

Longwave Radiation ◽

Ice Cores ◽

High Elevation ◽

Climate Indices ◽

Elevation Gradients ◽

Global Average ◽

Warming Rate ◽

Water Vapor Mixing Ratio

AbstractThe climate of high midlatitude mountains appears to be warming faster than the global average, but evidence for such elevation-dependent warming (EDW) at higher latitudes is presently scarce. Here, we use a comprehensive network of remote meteorological stations, proximal radiosonde measurements, downscaled temperature reanalysis, ice cores, and climate indices to investigate the manifestation and possible drivers of EDW in the St. Elias Mountains in subarctic Yukon, Canada. Linear trend analysis of comprehensively validated annual downscaled North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR) gridded surface air temperatures for the years 1979–2016 indicates a warming rate of 0.028°C a−1 between 5500 and 6000 m above mean sea level (MSL), which is ~1.6 times larger than the global-average warming rate between 1970 and 2015. The warming rate between 5500 and 6000 m MSL was ~1.5 times greater than the rate at the 2000–2500 m MSL bin (0.019°C a−1), which is similar to the majority of warming rates estimated worldwide over similar elevation gradients. Accelerated warming since 1979, measured by radiosondes, indicates a maximum rate at 400 hPa (~7010 m MSL). EDW in the St. Elias region therefore appears to be driven by recent warming of the free troposphere. MODIS satellite data show no evidence for an enhanced snow albedo feedback above 2500 m MSL, and declining trends in sulfate aerosols deposited in high-elevation ice cores suggest a modest increase in radiative forcing at these elevations. In contrast, increasing trends in water vapor mixing ratio at the 500-hPa level measured by radiosonde suggest that a longwave radiation vapor feedback is contributing to EDW.

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Water use and crop coefficient of the wheat–maize strip intercropping system for an arid region in northwestern China

Agricultural Water Management ◽

10.1016/j.agwat.2015.07.012 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 161 ◽

pp. 77-85 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Zikui Wang ◽

Pute Wu ◽

Xining Zhao ◽

Ying Gao ◽

Xiaoli Chen

Keyword(s):

Water Use ◽

Arid Region ◽

Crop Coefficient ◽

Northwestern China ◽

Strip Intercropping

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Identification of the Space-Time Variability of Hydrological Drought in the Arid Region of Northwestern China

Water ◽

10.3390/w11051051 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. 1051 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Huaijun Wang ◽

Zhongsheng Chen ◽

Yaning Chen ◽

Yingping Pan ◽

Ru Feng

Keyword(s):

Arid Region ◽

Water Resource Management ◽

Space Time ◽

Hydrological Drought ◽

Northwestern China ◽

Logistic Distribution ◽

Time Variability ◽

Drought Duration ◽

Monthly Streamflow ◽

Drought Duration And Severity

Drought monitoring is crucial to water resource management and strategic planning. Thus, the objective of this study is to identify the space-time variability of hydrological drought across the broad arid region of northwestern China. Seven distributions were applied to fitting monthly streamflow records of 16 gauging stations from 10 rivers. Finally, the general logistic distribution was selected as the most appropriate one to compute the Standardized Streamflow Index (SSI). The severity and duration of hydrological droughts were also captured from the SSI series. Moreover, we investigate the relationship between hydrological drought (SSI) and meteorological drought (Standardized Precipitation-Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI)) at different time scales. The results show that drought duration and severity decreased over time in the Aibihu, Irtysh, Kaidu, Aksu, Yarkand, Hoton, Shule, Heihe (upstream), and Shiyang Rivers. However, the Tarim (upstream) and Heihe (middle stream) Rivers showed increasing drought duration and severity and this can be attributed to recent decades human activities. Furthermore, two correlation coefficient patterns between SSI and SPEI were found for the rivers of interest, an “increasing-decreasing” pattern for the Irtysh, Heihe, and Shiyang Rivers, where the precipitation is the main runoff supply, and an “increasing-stable” pattern for Aibihu and the Kaidu, Aksu, Yarkand, Hotan, and Shule Rivers, where glacier melt water provided a relatively high supply of runoff. Our findings are a contribution towards implementing effective water resources evaluation and planning in this arid region.

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