Beyond the mean: long-term variabilities in precipitation and temperature on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tong Guo ◽  
Yanhong Tang
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Interannual Variability ◽  
Daily Precipitation ◽  
Mean Annual Precipitation ◽  
High Altitudes ◽  
Annual Variability ◽  
Mean Temperature ◽  
Precipitation And Temperature

AbstractLong-term variabilities in daily precipitation and temperature are critical for assessing the impacts of climate change on ecosystems. We characterized intra- and interannual variabilities in daily precipitation and temperature obtained from 1960 to 2015 at 78 meteorological stations on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. The results show that 1) The intra-annual variability of daily precipitation increases for 55 meteorological stations with a rate of 0.08 mm per decade. In contrast, the intra-annual variability markedly decreases for daily mean, daytime mean, and nighttime mean temperatures with a rate of 0.09, 0.07, and 0.12 °C per decade, respectively at 90% or more of stations. 2) Variabilities of daily precipitation and temperatures are quite sensitive to high altitudes (> 3500 m). The intra- and interannual variabilities of daily precipitation significantly decrease at 1.0 and 0.07 mm per 1000 m, respectively. However, variations of high altitudes increase the intra- and interannual variabilities of daily mean temperature at 1.0 °C and 0.2 °C per 1000 m. Moreover, the interannual variability of nighttime mean temperature varies at 0.3 °C per 1000 m, the fastest rate among three temperature indices. 3) A larger mean annual precipitation is accompanied by a higher intra- and interannual variability of daily precipitation on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau; however, a higher mean annual temperature leads to lower variabilities of daily temperatures. This study illustrates that long-term climatic variability is understudied in alpine ecosystems characterized by high climatic sensitivity. Precipitation and temperature variabilities should be characterized to improve predictions of vulnerable ecosystems responding to climate change.

scholarly journals Long-Term Trend of Climate Change and Drought Assessment in the Horn of Africa

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mihretab G. Ghebrezgabher ◽  
Taibao Yang ◽  
Xuemei Yang
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Mean Annual Precipitation ◽  
Simple Linear Regression ◽  
Horn Of Africa ◽  
Drought Assessment ◽  
Moderate Drought ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Long Term Trend ◽  
Precipitation And Temperature

Climate change due to global warming is a world concern, particularly in Africa. In this study, precipitation and temperature variables are taken as a proxy to assess and quantify the long-term climate change and drought in the Horn of Africa (HOA) (1930–2014). We adapted a simple linear regression and interpolation to analyze, respectively, the trend and spatial distribution of the mean annual precipitation and temperature. In addition, standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) was applied to evaluate the drought condition of the HOA. The results revealed that statistically the trend of precipitation decreased insignificantly; the trend of temperature was observed to drop very significantly between 1930 and 1969, but it was dramatically elevated very significantly from 1970 to 2014. The SPEI showed that the HOA experienced from mild to moderate drought throughout the study period with severe to extreme drought in some regions, particularly in 1943, 1984, 1991, and 2009. The drought was a very serious environmental problem in the HOA in the last 85 years. Thus, an immediate action is required to tackle drought and hence poverty and famine in the HOA.

scholarly journals Contrasting Evolution Patterns of Endorheic and Exorheic Lakes on the Central Tibetan Plateau and Climate Cause Analysis during 1988–2017

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 1962
Author(s):  
Zhilong Zhao ◽  
Yue Zhang ◽  
Zengzeng Hu ◽  
Xuanhua Nie
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Climatic Factors ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
Annual Precipitation ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Lake Area ◽  
Climate Change Research ◽  
Mean Temperature

The alpine lakes on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) are indicators of climate change. The assessment of lake dynamics on the TP is an important component of global climate change research. With a focus on lakes in the 33° N zone of the central TP, this study investigates the temporal evolution patterns of the lake areas of different types of lakes, i.e., non-glacier-fed endorheic lakes and non-glacier-fed exorheic lakes, during 1988–2017, and examines their relationship with changes in climatic factors. From 1988 to 2017, two endorheic lakes (Lake Yagenco and Lake Zhamcomaqiong) in the study area expanded significantly, i.e., by more than 50%. Over the same period, two exorheic lakes within the study area also exhibited spatio-temporal variability: Lake Gaeencuonama increased by 5.48%, and the change in Lake Zhamuco was not significant. The 2000s was a period of rapid expansion of both the closed lakes (endorheic lakes) and open lakes (exorheic lakes) in the study area. However, the endorheic lakes maintained the increase in lake area after the period of rapid expansion, while the exorheic lakes decreased after significant expansion. During 1988–2017, the annual mean temperature significantly increased at a rate of 0.04 °C/a, while the annual precipitation slightly increased at a rate of 2.23 mm/a. Furthermore, the annual precipitation significantly increased at a rate of 14.28 mm/a during 1995–2008. The results of this study demonstrate that the change in precipitation was responsible for the observed changes in the lake areas of the two exorheic lakes within the study area, while the changes in the lake areas of the two endorheic lakes were more sensitive to the annual mean temperature between 1988 and 2017. Given the importance of lakes to the TP, these are not trivial issues, and we now need accelerated research based on long-term and continuous remote sensing data.

Long-Term Changes of Lake Level and Water Budget in the Nam Co Lake Basin, Central Tibetan Plateau

2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 1312-1322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanhong Wu ◽  
Hongxing Zheng ◽  
Bing Zhang ◽  
Dongmei Chen ◽  
Liping Lei
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Water Budget ◽  
Lake Level ◽  
Lake Basin ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Nam Co ◽  
Long Term Changes ◽  
Nam Co Lake

Abstract Long-term changes in the water budget of lakes in the Tibetan Plateau due to climate change are of great interest not only for the importance of water management, but also for the critical challenge due to the lack of observations. In this paper, the water budget of Nam Co Lake during 1980–2010 is simulated using a dynamical monthly water balance model. The simulated lake level is in good agreement with field investigations and the remotely sensed lake level. The long-term hydrological simulation shows that from 1980 to 2010, lake level rose from 4718.34 to 4724.93 m, accompanied by an increase of lake water storage volume from 77.33 × 109 to 83.66 × 109 m3. For the net lake level rise (5.93 m) during the period 1980–2010, the proportional contributions of rainfall–runoff, glacier melt, precipitation on the lake, lake percolation, and evaporation are 104.7%, 56.6%, 41.7%, −22.2%, and −80.9%, respectively. A positive but diminishing annual water surplus is found in Nam Co Lake, implying a continuous but slowing rise in lake level as a hydrological consequence of climate change.

scholarly journals Climate Change Impacts on Groundwater Recharge in Cold and Humid Climates: Controlling Processes and Thresholds

Climate ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 6
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Dubois ◽  
Marie Larocque ◽  
Sylvain Gagné ◽  
Marco Braun
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Groundwater Recharge ◽  
Water Resource Management ◽  
Global Climate Models ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Temperature Changes ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Long Term Changes ◽  
Precipitation And Temperature

Long-term changes in precipitation and temperature indirectly impact aquifers through groundwater recharge (GWR). Although estimates of future GWR are needed for water resource management, they are uncertain in cold and humid climates due to the wide range in possible future climatic conditions. This work aims to (1) simulate the impacts of climate change on regional GWR for a cold and humid climate and (2) identify precipitation and temperature changes leading to significant long-term changes in GWR. Spatially distributed GWR is simulated in a case study for the southern Province of Quebec (Canada, 36,000 km2) using a water budget model. Climate scenarios from global climate models indicate warming temperatures and wetter conditions (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5; 1951–2100). The results show that annual precipitation increases of >+150 mm/yr or winter precipitation increases of >+25 mm will lead to significantly higher GWR. GWR is expected to decrease if the precipitation changes are lower than these thresholds. Significant GWR changes are produced only when the temperature change exceeds +2 °C. Temperature changes of >+4.5 °C limit the GWR increase to +30 mm/yr. This work provides useful insights into the regional assessment of future GWR in cold and humid climates, thus helping in planning decisions as climate change unfolds. The results are expected to be comparable to those in other regions with similar climates in post-glacial geological environments and future climate change conditions.

scholarly journals Variable response of anuran calling activity to daily precipitation and temperature: implications for climate change

Ecosphere ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. art47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oscar E. Ospina ◽  
Luis J. Villanueva-Rivera ◽  
Carlos J. Corrada-Bravo ◽  
T. Mitchell Aide
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Daily Precipitation ◽  
Variable Response ◽  
Calling Activity ◽  
Precipitation And Temperature

scholarly journals Coherence among the Northern Hemisphere land, cryosphere, and ocean responses to natural variability and anthropogenic forcing during the satellite era

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 717-734 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alemu Gonsamo ◽  
Jing M. Chen ◽  
Drew T. Shindell ◽  
Gregory P. Asner
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Solar Radiation ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Interannual Variability ◽  
Northern Hemisphere ◽  
Natural Variability ◽  
Spring Phenology ◽  
Anthropogenic Forcing ◽  
Recent Climate

Abstract. A lack of long-term measurements across Earth's biological and physical systems has made observation-based detection and attribution of climate change impacts to anthropogenic forcing and natural variability difficult. Here we explore coherence among land, cryosphere and ocean responses to recent climate change using 3 decades (1980–2012) of observational satellite and field data throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Our results show coherent interannual variability among snow cover, spring phenology, solar radiation, Scandinavian Pattern, and North Atlantic Oscillation. The interannual variability of the atmospheric peak-to-trough CO2 amplitude is mostly impacted by temperature-mediated effects of El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Pacific/North American Pattern (PNA), whereas CO2 concentration is affected by Polar Pattern control on sea ice extent dynamics. This is assuming the trend in anthropogenic CO2 emission remains constant, or the interannual changes in the trends are negligible. Our analysis suggests that sea ice decline-related CO2 release may outweigh increased CO2 uptake through longer growing seasons and higher temperatures. The direct effects of variation in solar radiation and leading teleconnections, at least in part via their impacts on temperature, dominate the interannual variability of land, cryosphere and ocean indicators. Our results reveal a coherent long-term changes in multiple physical and biological systems that are consistent with anthropogenic forcing of Earth's climate and inconsistent with natural drivers.

Douglasien-Provenienzversuch von 1961 in Nordwestdeutschland: Ergebnisse nach 38 Jahren

2012 ◽  
Vol 163 (3) ◽  
pp. 105-114
Author(s):  
Andreas Weller
Keyword(s):  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
Volume Growth ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Mean Annual Precipitation ◽  
Mean Temperature ◽  
Adaptive Capabilities ◽  
Provenance Trials

Douglas-fir provenance trials established 1961 in northwestern Germany: findings at the age of 38 years The Douglas-fir provenance trials established on 14 sites in northwestern Germany in 1961 are the basis for a comparison of 26 North American Douglas-fir provenances. The following assessment criteria were formulated: (1) How do the provenances differ with respect to total volume growth after 38 years? (2) Can climate-induced variations be observed in provenance values? (3) Do provenances differ in regard to branchiness? Because of non-orthogonal trial set-ups and plot-related influences, overall trial sites analysis called for a standardisation of interval-scaled primary data. Relative rank classes were calculated on the basis of a mean plot value. With respect to total volume growth, the provenances Tenas Creek (D47) as well as Molalla (D74) and Timber (D41/59) proved provenances with stable and outstanding productivity. Among the tested local climate elements “long-term annual mean temperature”, “mean annual precipitation” and “height above sea level” only the influence of long-term annual mean temperature is statistically relevant for productivity. Beside hardy ecotypes, which adapt to a wide spectrum of differing plot climates (e.g., Molalla [D74]), there are provenances with poor adaptive capabilities that react sensitively to local climatic conditions (e.g., Salmon Arm II [D46]). For the criterion “fine-branchiness”, the provenances Conrad Creek (D43), Ashford (D67) and Gold Hill (D83) show the best, the provenances Detroit (D76), Carson (D87) and Salmon Arm II (D46) the poorest results.

Spatio-temporal variation of extreme indices derived from observed and reanalysis products for detection of climate change across India

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sachidanand Kumar ◽  
Kironmala Chanda ◽  
Srinivas Pasupuleti
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Extreme Precipitation ◽  
Daily Precipitation ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
Daily Minimum Temperature ◽  
Daily Maximum Temperature ◽  
Daily Maximum ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Precipitation And Temperature

<p><strong>Abstract</strong></p><p>This article reports the research findings in a recent study (Kumar et al., 2020) that utilizes eight indices of climate change recommended by the Expert Team on Climate Change Detection and Indices (ETCCDI) for analyzing spatio-temporal trends in extreme precipitation and temperature at the daily scale across India. Observed gridded precipitation (1971-2017) and temperature (1971-2013) datasets from India Meteorological Department (IMD) are used along with reanalysis products from Climate Prediction Centre (CPC). The trends are estimated using non-parametric Mann-Kendall (MK) test and regression analysis. The trends in ‘wet days’ (daily precipitation greater than 95<sup>th</sup> percentile) and ‘dry days’ (daily precipitation lower than 5<sup>th</sup> percentile) are examined considering the entire year (annual) as well as monsoon months only (seasonal). At the annual scale, about 13% of the grid locations indicated significant trend (either increasing or decreasing at 5% significance level) in the index R95p (rainfall contribution from extreme ‘wet days’) while 20% of the locations indicated significant trend in R5p (rainfall contribution from extreme ‘dry days’). For the seasonal analysis (June to September), the corresponding figures are nil and 21% respectively. The spatio-temporal trends in ‘warm days’ (daily maximum temperature greater than 95<sup>th</sup> percentile), ‘warm nights’ (daily minimum temperature greater than 95<sup>th</sup> percentile), ‘cold days’ (daily maximum temperature lower than 5<sup>th</sup> percentile) and ‘cold nights’ (daily minimum temperature lower than 5<sup>th</sup> percentile) are also investigated for the aforementioned period. The number of ‘warm days’ per year increased significantly at 14% of the locations, while the number of ‘cold days’, ‘warm nights’ and ‘cold nights’ per year decreased significantly at several (42%, 34% and 39%) of the locations. The extreme temperature indices are also investigated for the future using CanESM2 projected data for RCP8.5 after suitable bias correction. Most of the locations (49% to 84%) indicate significant increasing (decreasing) trend in ‘warm days’ (‘cold days’) in the three epochs, 2006-2040, 2041-2070 and 2071-2100. Moreover, most locations (60% to 81%) show an increasing trend in ‘warm nights’ and a decreasing trend in ‘cold nights’ in all the epochs. A similar investigation for the historical and future periods using CPC data as the reference indicates that the trends, on comparison with IMD observations, seem to be in agreement for temperature extremes but spatially more extensive in case of CPC precipitation extremes.</p><p><strong>Keywords: extreme precipitation and temperature, climate change indices, spatio-temporal variation, India</strong></p><p><strong>References:</strong></p><p>Kumar S., Chanda, K., Srinivas P., (2020), Spatiotemporal analysis of extreme indices derived from daily precipitation and temperature for climate change detection over India, Theoretical and Applied Climatology, Springer, In press, DOI: 10.1007/s00704-020-03088-5.</p>

scholarly journals Coherence among the Northern Hemisphere land, cryosphere, and ocean responses to natural variability and anthropogenic forcing during the satellite era

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Gonsamo ◽  
J. M. Chen ◽  
D. T. Shindell ◽  
G. P. Asner
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Solar Radiation ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Interannual Variability ◽  
Northern Hemisphere ◽  
Natural Variability ◽  
Spring Phenology ◽  
Anthropogenic Forcing ◽  
Recent Climate

Abstract. A lack of long-term measurements across Earth's biological and physical systems has made observation-based detection and attribution of climate change impacts to anthropogenic forcing and natural variability difficult. Here we explore coherence among land, cryosphere and ocean responses to recent climate change using three decades (1980−2012) of observational satellite and field data throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Our results show coherent interannual variability among snow cover, spring phenology and thaw, solar radiation, Scandinavian Pattern, and North Atlantic Oscillation. The interannual variability of the atmospheric peak-to-trough CO2 amplitude is mostly impacted by temperature-mediated effects of ENSO, North American Pattern and East Atlantic Pattern, whereas CO2 concentration is affected by Polar Pattern control on sea ice extent dynamics. This is assuming the trend in anthropogenic CO2 emission remains constant, or the interannual changes in the trends are negligible. Our analysis suggests that sea ice decline-related CO2 release may outweigh increased CO2 uptake through longer growing seasons and higher temperatures. The direct effects of variation in solar radiation and leading teleconnections, at least in part via their impacts on temperature, dominate the interannual variability of land, cryosphere and ocean indicators. Our results reveal a coherent long-term changes in multiple physical and biological systems that are consistent with anthropogenic forcing of Earth's climate and inconsistent with natural drivers.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document