Arid Zone Research ›› 2023, Vol. 40 ›› Issue (6): 863-873.doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2023.06.02

• Weather and Climate • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Anomaly temporal-spatial distribution of solar radiation in Northwest China

YAO Yubi1,2(),ZHENG Shaozhong1,DONG Hongchang3(),SHI Jie3,ZHANG Min1,XIA Quan1   

  1. 1. Lanzhou Resources & Environment Voc-Tech University, Yellow River Basin Ecotope Integration of Industry and Education Research Institute, Key Laboratory of Climate Resources Utilization and Disaster Prevention and Mitigation of Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730021, Gansu, China
    2. Lanzhou Institute of Arid Meteorology under China Meteorological Administration, Lanzhou 730020, Gansu, China
    3. Meteorological Bureau of Dingxi of Gansu Province, Dingxi 743000, Gansu, China
  • Received:2022-08-19 Revised:2023-02-21 Online:2023-06-15 Published:2023-06-21

Abstract:

The temporal variation, spatial distribution, and temporal and spatial evolution characteristics of the total radiation in Northwest China were studied using meteorological observation data from 169 national meteorological stations in Northwest China, over the past 60 years. The Qaidam Basin in the Northwest of Qinghai and the west of Gansu were the most abundant areas for solar energy resources, the smaller areas in the south of Shaanxi and the southeast of Gansu were found to be resource rich areas, and the other large areas are resource rich areas. From 1961 to 2020, the total radiation showed an upward trend in Southwest Xinjiang, the border area between Gansu and Xinjiang, and smaller areas in northern Gansu and northern Shaanxi, while the total radiation showed a downward trend in most regions of Northwest China. The eigenvector field of EOF mode 1 shows that the total radiation oscillation intensifies from west to east, and the high load area for each component is mainly concentrated in the middle and east, which is the region where the total radiation is prone to be abnormal and the oscillation is strong and sensitive. The eigenvector field of the second EOF mode presents a dipole type from west to east. Qinghai and most of the Gansu are positive regions, which are also the regions with the strongest total radiation and abnormal oscillation. According to the different modal spatial differentiation structure types for the REOF eigenvectors, the study area can be divided into three sub regions, namely: “Eastern northwest anomaly type” which is affected by the East Asian monsoon; “Central northwest anomaly type” which is the marginal region and mainly affected by the East Asian monsoon; and “Western Northwest anomaly type” which is mainly affected by the westerlies. The mutation points for total radiation reduction in the three subregions occurred in 1973, 2017, and 2008 respectively.

Key words: total radiation, spatial anomaly typing, subregional changes, Northwest China