Assessment of Climate Suitability for Human Settlements in Tibet,China

中国西藏地区人居环境气候适宜性评价

Climate is an important factor that affects the livability of a region.The climate suitability of a region’s environment for human settlement profoundly affects the regional socio-economic development and the population distribution.Tibet is an area that is sensitive to climate change.Given the impact of global climate change,the climate suitability of Tibet has undergone significant changes.In this study,the temperature humidity index(THI)values for Tibet were calculated,and the relationships between the population distribution and the THI were analyzed quantitatively.In this way,the zoning standards for climate suitability in Tibet were determined such that the climate suitability could be evaluated.The results show that the average annual temperature in the southeast of Tibet,where the population was densely distributed,was relatively high.The mean annual relative humidity showed a trend of gradually decreasing from south to north.Regions with a suitable climate,including the high suitability areas(HSAs),the moderately suitable areas(MSAs)and the low suitability areas(LSAs),accounted for only 7.90%of the total area but accommodated over 40%of the total population.The critically suitable areas(CSAs)accounted for 37.81%of the land area and 48.24%of the total population.Non-suitable areas(NSAs)were widely distributed in Tibet and accounted for 54.29%of the total area and 11.33%of the total population.The results of this study may provide a reference for guiding the reasonable distribution of population and promoting the optimization of the spatial planning in Tibet.

气候是影响区域宜居性的一个重要自然因素。人居环境气候适宜性深刻影响着区域人口分布和社会经济发展。西藏地区是气候变化的敏感地区,近年来随着全球气候变化的影响,该地区的气候适宜性也发生了显著变化。本文基于多年平均气候数据计算了西藏地区的温湿指数,定量分析了人口分布与温湿指数之间的关系;在此基础之上,确定了西藏地区气候适宜性分区标准;最后评价了西藏地区的人居环境气候适宜性。结果表明:西藏东南部地区年均温度相对较高,人口分布相对密集;年均相对湿度整体上呈现出由南向北逐渐降低的趋势。西藏气候适宜地区(包括高度适宜地区、比较适宜地区和一般适宜地区)面积占比仅为7.90%,人口数量比重超过40%。气候临界适宜地区面积占比为37.81%,人口占比为48.24%。气候不适宜地区广泛分布于各地市,面积占比为54.29%,人口占比为11.33%。本文的研究结果可为指导西藏地区人口的合理分布以及优化国土空间规划提供参考。