Arid Zone Research ›› 2021, Vol. 38 ›› Issue (2): 293-302.doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2021.02.01

• Weather and Climate •     Next Articles

Spatio-temporal characteristics of climate change in the Yellow River source area from 1960 to 2019

LIU Caihong1(),WANG Pengling2(),WEN Tingting1,YU Di1,BAI Wenrong1   

  1. 1. Qinghai Climate Centre, Xining 810001, Qinghai, China
    2. National Climate Center, Beijing 100081, China
  • Received:2020-05-26 Revised:2020-07-03 Online:2021-03-15 Published:2021-04-25
  • Contact: Pengling WANG E-mail:29697461@qq.com;wangpl@cma.gov.cn

Abstract:

As a fragile ecological environment, the source region of the Yellow River (SRYR) is sensitive to climate change. It is also the primary region generating runoff in the Yellow River Basin. The issue of climate change in the SRYR has attracted substantial attention. This study systematically re-examined changes in the average climate and extreme climate events in the SRYR over the past 60 years using homogenized temperature and precipitation data. From 1960 to 2019, the annual average temperature and average maximum and minimum temperatures of the SRYR increased consistently, with the most substantial warming in the eastern part of the source area. After the turning point in 2000, the warming rate reached 0.61 ℃·(10a)-1, which was significantly higher than that for the period of 1960-2019 [0.37 ℃·(10a)-1]. From 1960 to 2019, the annual precipitation in the SRYR generally showed a slight increase, at a rate of 7.6 mm·(10a)-1. After 2003, it entered a stage of more precipitation, with the regional average annual rainfall reaching 610 mm during 2010-2019. Spring, summer, and winter precipitation increased over the past 60 years, while autumn precipitation decreased. Meanwhile, summer and autumn precipitation in the eastern part of the source area decreased substantially, leading to an increased risk of staged drought. Of the last 60 years, the average temperature and precipitation in the source area were highest in the past 10 years, and the research region was generally at its warmest and wettest stage simultaneously. Affected by the background of warming and wetting, from 1960 to 2019, the average extreme temperature threshold of the SRYR increased significantly, while the number of days with frost decreased, the annual maximum three days of precipitation and the number of heavy precipitation days increased, and precipitation intensity strengthened, most notably in summer. Thus, all of these changes possibly bring series of risks and challenges to ecological protection and utilization of water resources in the SRYR and to the development of the entire Yellow River Basin.

Key words: Yellow River source area, climate change, extreme event, warming-wetting, spatial-temporal pattern