Spatiotemporal Changes of Snow Depth in Western Jilin,China from 1987 to 2018

Seasonal snow cover is a key global climate and hydrological system component drawing considerable attention due to glob-al warming conditions.However,the spatiotemporal snow cover patterns are challenging in western Jilin,China due to natural condi-tions and sparse observation.Hence,this study investigated the spatiotemporal patterns of snow cover using fine-resolution passive mi-crowave(PMW)snow depth(SD)data from 1987 to 2018,and revealed the potential influence of climate factors on SD variations.The results indicated that the interannual range of SD was between 2.90 cm and 9.60 cm during the snowy winter seasons and the annual mean SD showed a slightly increasing trend(P>0.05)at a rate of 0.009 cm/yr.In snowmelt periods,the snow cover contributed to an increase in volumetric soil water,and the change in SD was significantly affected by air temperature.The correlation between SD and air temperature was negative,while the correlation between SD and precipitation was positive during December and March.In March,the correlation coefficient exceeded 0.5 in Zhenlai,Da’an,Qianan,and Qianguo counties.However,the SD and precipitation were neg-atively correlated over western Jilin in October,and several subregions presented a negative correlation between SD and precipitation in November and April.

Paleoenvironmental changes recorded by grain size of loess/paleosol sequence from the Chifeng City,Northeastern China since the Last Glacial

The accumulation processes of loess in northeastern(NE)China record the varying characteristics of the East Asian Monsoons(EAM)and the evolution of the local environment.In this study,grain size end-member analysis of the Dajiugang(DJG)section deposited since the Last Glacial in Chifeng City,NE China was used to reveal the dynamic depositional characteristics of loess and environmental evolution of NE China.Results showed that the Chifeng loess comprises three grain size end-members(EM),EM1(7.38μm),EM2(49.4μm)and EM3(90.00μm),indicating the three transport dynamics of dust delivered to the region.The EM1 represents atmospheric dust as the background.The EM2,mainly derived from relatively distant-sources deposition,and EM3,material transported over a short distance,correspond to the intensity of southwesterly winds and the East Asian Winter Monsoon(EAWM),respectively.Results of climate reconstruction,combined with other records,showed that the climate was generally cold and dry with a strong EAWM and a weak East Asian summer monsoon(EASM)during the stadial-period[Marine Isotope Stage(MIS)4 and MIS 2 stage].The climate was predominantly warm and humid,with weak EAWM and surface winds and strong EASM in interstadial-period(MIS 3 and MIS 1 stage).Comparisons between indicators,e.g.,EM3,the LR04 benthicδ18O stack and summer insolation at 65°N suggest that the strong EAWM is induced by increasing the Northern Hemisphere ice volume and reduced summer solar radiation.

Historical Changes and Multi-scenario Prediction of Land Use and Terrestrial Ecosystem Carbon Storage in China

Terrestrial carbon storage(CS)plays a crucial role in achieving carbon balance and mitigating global climate change.This study employs the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways and Representative Concentration Pathways(SSPs-RCPs)published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC)and incorporates the Policy Control Scenario(PCS)regulated by China’s land management policies.The Future Land Use Simulation(FLUS)model is employed to generate a 1 km resolution land use/cover change(LUCC)dataset for China in 2030 and 2060.Based on the carbon density dataset of China’s terrestrial ecosystems,the study analyses CS changes and their relationship with land use changes spanning from 1990 to 2060.The findings indicate that the quantitative changes in land use in China from 1990 to 2020 are characterised by a reduction in the area proportion of cropland and grassland,along with an increase in the impervious surface and forest area.This changing trend is projected to continue under the PCS from 2020 to 2060.Under the SSPs-RCPs scenario,the proportion of cropland and impervious surface predominantly increases,while the proportions of forest and grassland continuously decrease.Carbon loss in China’s carbon storage from 1990 to 2020 amounted to 0.53×10^(12)kg,primarily due to the reduced area of cropland and grassland.In the SSPs-RCPs scenario,more significant carbon loss occurs,reaching a peak of8.07×10^(12)kg in the SSP4-RCP3.4 scenario.Carbon loss is mainly concentrated in the southeastern coastal area and the Beijing-TianjinHebei(BTH)region of China,with urbanisation and deforestation identified as the primary drivers.In the future,it is advisable to enhance the protection of forests and grassland while stabilising cropland areas and improving the intensity of urban land.These research findings offer valuable data support for China’s land management policy,land space optimisation,and the achievement of dual-carbon targets.

From Cycles to Sequences:Sequence Stratigraphy and Relative Sea Level Change for the Late Cambrian of the North China Platform

In the Late Cambrian, the North China Platform was a typical carbonate ramp platform. The Upper Cambrian of the northern part of the North China Platform is famous for the development of bioherm limestones and storm calcirudites and can be divided from bottom to top into the Gushan, Changshan and Fengshan formations. In this set of strata, the deep-ramp mudstone and marls and the shallow-ramp packstones and grainstones constitute many carbonate meter-scale cycles of subtidal type. More tidal-flat dolomites are developed in the Upper Cambrian of the southern margin of the North China platform, in which limestone and dolomite beds also constitute many carbonate meter-scale cycles of the peritidal type. These cycles are marked by a variety of litho-facies successions. There are regularly vertical stacking patterns of meter-scale cycles in long-term third-order sequences, which is the key to discerning such sequences. Third- order sequence is marked by a particular sedimentary-facies succession that is the result of the environment-changing process of deepening and shoaling, which is genetically related to third-order sea level changes. Furthermore, four third- order sequences can be grouped in the Upper Cambrian of the North China Platform. The main features of these four third -order sequences in the northern part of the platform can be summarized as follows: firstly, sequence-boundaries are characterized by drowning unconformities; secondly, the sedimentary-facies succession is generally constituted by one from deep-ramp facies to shallow-ramp facies; thirdly, a succession of “CS (?)+HST” (i.e., “condensed section and high- stand system”) forms these four third-order sequences. The chief features for the third-order sequences in the southern part of the North China Platform comprises: more dolomites are developed in the HSTs of third-order sequences and also developed more carbonate meter-scale cycles of peritidal types; the sedimentary-facies succession of the third-order sequences is marked by “shallow ramp-tidal flat”; the sequence boundaries are characterized by exposure punctuated surfaces. According to the changes for the third-order sequences from the north to the south, a regular sequence- stratigraphic framework can be established. From cycles to sequences, the study of sequence stratigraphy from litho-facies successions to sedimentary-facies successions exposes that as follows: meter-scale cycles that are used as the basic working unit actually are litho-facies successions formed by the mechanism of a punctuated aggradational cycle, and third -order sequences that are constituted by regularly vertical stacking patterns of meter-scale cycles are marked by sedimentary-facies successions. On the basis of the changing curve of water depth at each section, the curve of the relative third-order sea level changes in the late Cambrian of the North China Platform can be integrated qualitatively from changing curve of water depth. The correlation of Late Cambrian long-term sea level changes between North China and North America demonstrates that there are not only similarities but also differences, reflecting control of long-term sea level changes both by global eustacy and by regional factors.

Impacts of Climate Change on Rice Yield in China From 1961 to 2010 Based on Provincial Data

The impacts of climate change on rice yield in China from 1961 to 2010 were studied in this paper, based on the provincial data, in order to develop scientiifc countermeasures. The results indicated that increase of average temperature improved single cropping rice production on national level by up to 11%relative to the average over the study period, however, it resulted in an overall loss of double cropping rice by up to 1.9%. The decrease of diurnal temperature range （DTR） in the major producing regions caused the decrease by up to 3.0%for single cropping rice production and 2.0%for double cropping rice production. Moreover, the contribution of precipitation change reached about 6.2%for single cropping rice production, but no signiifcant effect for double cropping rice production in recent 50 years.

Latitudinal changes (6°S-20°N) of summer ciliate abundance and species compositions in surface waters from the Java Sea to the South China Sea

Ciliates play a curial role in energy transfer from pico- and nano-phytoplankton to mesozooplankton in marine ecosystems. In order to visualize their geographical distributions from the Java Sea to the South China Sea （6~S to 20~N）, the authors investigated the ciliate abundance and species composition in sur- face waters during May 18 to 27 of 2010. The ciliate abundance decreased latitudinally from 3 080 ind./L （~6~S） to 40 ind./L （-~3~N）, and then increased to 1 180 ind./L （-~ 16~N） at the end of the survey. A total of 22 ciliates belonging to 15 genera were identified with the tintinnids accounted for 50% （11 species）; and the species number showed a same spatial change as the ciliate abundance. Moreover, the Strombidium oc- cupied over 50% of total ciliate abundance in most stations and Mesodiniurn and Tintinnopsis contributed to about 18.7% and 11.4%, respectively. In particular, our results indicate that the geographical changes in ciliate abundance were positively regulated by larger nano- and micro-phytoplankton biomass, rather than smaller pico-phytoplankton in the investigated waters.

Re-assessing Vegetation Carbon Storage and Emissions from Land Use Change in China Using Surface Area

Land surface area estimation can provide basic information for accurately estimating vegetation carbon storage under complex terrain. This study selected China, a country dominated by mountains, as an example, and calculated terrestrial vegetation carbon storage(VCS) for 2000 and 2015 using land surface area and traditional ellipsoid area. The land surface area is estimated by a triangular network on the high precision digital elevation model.The results showed that: 1) The VCS estimated by the surface area measurement in 2000 and 2015 were 0.676 and0.692 Pg C(1 Pg = 1015 g) higher than the VCS calculated using the ellipsoid area, respectively. 2) As the elevation increases, the differences between VCS estimated by surface area measurement and ellipsoid area measurement are expanding. Specially, a clear gap was present starting from an elevation of 500 m, with the relative error exceeds8.99%. 3) The total amount of carbon emitted due to land use change reached 0.114 Pg C. The conversions of forestland and grassland to other land use type are the main reasons of the loss of vegetation carbon storage, resulting in a total amount of biomass carbon storage decreased by 0.942 and 0.111 Pg C, respectively. This study was a preliminary exploration of incorporating land surface area as a factor in resource estimation, which can help more accurately understand the status of resources and the environment in the region.

Impact of climate change on maize yield in China from 1979 to 2016

Climate change severely impacts agricultural production, which jeopardizes food security. China is the second largest maize producer in the world and also the largest consumer of maize. Analyzing the impact of climate change on maize yields can provide effective guidance to national and international economics and politics. Panel models are unable to determine the group-wise heteroscedasticity, cross-sectional correlation and autocorrelation of datasets, therefore we adopted the feasible generalized least square(FGLS) model to evaluate the impact of climate change on maize yields in China from 1979–2016 and got the following results:(1) During the 1979–2016 period, increases in temperature negatively impacted the maize yield of China. For every 1℃ increase in temperature, the maize yield was reduced by 5.19 kg 667 m^–2(1.7%). Precipitation increased only marginally during this time, and therefore its impact on the maize yield was negligible. For every 1 mm increase in precipitation, the maize yield increased by an insignificant amount of 0.043 kg 667 m^–2(0.014%).(2) The impacts of climate change on maize yield differ spatially, with more significant impacts experienced in southern China. In this region, a 1℃ increase in temperature resulted in a 7.49 kg 667 m^–2 decrease in the maize yield, while the impact of temperature on the maize yield in northern China was insignificant. For every 1 mm increase in precipitation, the maize yield increased by 0.013 kg 667 m^–2 in southern China and 0.066 kg 667 m^–2 in northern China.(3) The resilience of the maize crop to climate change is strong. The marginal effect of temperature in both southern and northern China during the 1990–2016 period was smaller than that for the 1979–2016 period.

Land-use Change and Socio-economic Driving Forces of Rural Settlement in China from 1996 to 2005

While urbanization has accelerated, the rural population in China has started decreasing in recent years. However, the expansion of rural settlement has not been sufficiently curbed. The questions of why this has happened and who has driven the land-use change(LUC) of rural settlement in China have aroused great interests among researchers. In this paper, it is suggested that population is not always a positive driving force for the LUC of rural settlement in China. Furthermore, socio-economic driving forces other than urbanization, population and industrialization are analyzed. On a national scale, the major driving forces are the per-capita rural housing area and the cultivated land area. On a regional scale, the main driving forces in the eastern China are the house-building capacity of rural households and the per-capita rural housing area; while in the central China, the main driving forces are rural housing investment, the proportion of primary industry employees in the rural working population, and the cultivated land area. For the western China, the main driving forces are rural register population and cultivated land area.

Abrupt temperature change and a warming hiatus from 1951 to 2014 in Inner Mongolia, China

An abrupt temperature change and a warming hiatus have strongly influenced the global climate.This study focused on these changes in Inner Mongolia, China. This study used the central clustering method, Mann-Kendall mutation test and other methods to explore the abrupt temperature change and warming hiatus in three different temperature zones of the study region based on average annual data series.Among the temperature metrics investigated, average minimum temperature(Tnav) shifted the earliest,followed by average temperature(Tnv) and average maximum temperature(Txav). The latest change was observed in summer(1990 s), whereas the earliest was observed in winter(1970 s). Before and after the abrupt temperature change, Tnav fluctuated considerably, whereas there was only a slight change in Txav.Before and after the abrupt temperature change, the winter temperature changed more dramatically than the summer temperature. Before the abrupt temperature change, Tnav in the central region(0.322°C/10 a)and west region(0.48°C/10 a) contributed the most to the increasing temperatures. After the abrupt temperature change, Tnav in winter in the central region(0.519°C/10 a) and in autumn in the west region(0.729°C/10 a) contributed the most to the temperature increases. Overall, in the years in which temperature shifts occurred early, a warming hiatus also appeared early. The three temperature metrics in spring(1991)in the east region were the first to exhibit a warming hiatus. In the east region, Txav displayed the lowest rate of increase(0.412°C/a) in the period after the abrupt temperature change and before the warming hiatus,and the highest rate of increase after the warming hiatus.

Land Cover Changes and Drivers in the Water Source Area of the Middle Route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project in China from 2000 to 2015

The Middle Route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project(MR-SNWDP)in China,with construction beginning in 2003,diverts water from Danjiangkou Reservoir to North China for residential,agriculture and industrial use.The water source area of the MR-SNWDP is the region that is most sensitive to and most affected by the construction of this water diversion project.In this study,we used Landsat Thematic Mapper(TM)and HJ-1 A/B images from 2000 to 2015 by an object-based approach with a hierarchical classification method for mapping land cover in the water source area.The changes in land cover were illuminated by transfer matrixes,single dynamic degree,slope zones and fractional vegetation cover(FVC).The results indicated that the area of cropland decreased by 31%and was replaced mainly by shrub over the past 15 years,whereas forest and settlements showed continuous increases of 29.2% and 77.7%,respectively.The changes in cropland were obvious in all slope zones and decreased most remarkably(–43.8%)in the slope zone above 25°.Compared to the FVC of forest and shrub,significant improvement was exhibited in the FVC of grassland,with a growth rate of 16.6%.We concluded that local policies,including economic development,water conservation and immigration resulting from the construction of the MR-SNWDP,were the main drivers of land cover changes;notably,they stimulated the substantial and rapid expansion of settlements,doubled the wetlands and drove the transformation from cropland to settlements in immigration areas.

Dynamics of soil organic carbon following land-use change:insights from stable C-isotope analysis in black soil of Northeast China

Intensive soil tillage is a significant factor in soil organic matter decline in cultivated soils. Both cultivation abandonment and foregoing tillage have been encouraged in the past 30 years to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and soil erosion. However, the dynamic processes of soil organic carbon (SOC) in areas of either continuous cultivation or abandonment remain unclear and inconsistent.Our aims were to assess and model the dynamic processes of SOC under continuous tillage and after cultivation abandonment in the black soil of Northeast China. Soil profiles were collected of cultivated or abandoned land with cultivation history of 0–100 years. An isotope mass balance equation was used to calculate the proportion of SOC derived from corn debris (C_4) and from natural vegetation (C_3) to deduce the dynamic process. Approximately 40% of SOC in the natural surface soil (0–10 cm) was eroded in the first 5 years of cultivation, increasing to about 75% within 40 years, before a slow recovery. C_4 above 30 cm soil depth increased by 4.5%–5% or 0.11–0.12 g·kg^(-1) on average per year under continuous cultivation, while it decreased by approximately 0.34% annually in the surface soil after cultivation abandonment.The increase in the percentage of C_4 was fitted to a linear equation with given intercepts in the upper 30 cm of soil in cultivated land. A significant relationship between the change of C_4 and time was found only in the surface soil after abandonment of cultivation. These results demonstrate the loss and accumulation of corn-derived SOC in surface black soil of Northeast China under continuous tillage or cultivation abandonment.

Use of Intensity Analysis to Measure Land Use Changes from 1932 to 2005 in Zhenlai County, Northeast China

Analyzing spatiotemporal dynamics of land use and land cover over time is widely recognized as important to better understand and provide solutions for social, economic, and environmental problems, especially in ecologically fragile region. In this paper, a case study was taken in Zhenlai County, which is a part of farming-pastoral ecotone of Northeast China. This study seeks to use multi-temporal satellite images and other data from various sources to analyze spatiotemporal changes from 1932 to 2005, and applied a quantitative methodology named intensity analysis in the time scale of decades at three levels: time interval, category, and transition. The findings of the case study are as follows: 1) the interval level of intensity analysis revealed that the annual rate of overall change was relatively fast in 1932–1954 and 1954–1976 time intervals. 2) The category level showed that arable land experienced less intensively gains and losses if the overall change was to have been distributed uniformly across the landscape while the gains and losses of forest land, grassland, water, settlement, wetland and other unused land were not consistent and stationary across the four time intervals. 3) The transition level illustrated that arable land expanded at the expense of grassland before 2000 while it gained intensively from wetland from 2000 to 2005. Settlement targets arable land and avoids grassland, water, wetland and other unused land. Besides, the loss of grassland was intensively targeted by arable land, forest land and wetland in the study period while the loss of wetland was targeted by water except for the time interval of 1976–2000. 4) During the early reclamation period, land use change of the study area was mainly affected by the policy, institutional and political factors, followed by the natural disasters.

Sediment record of environmental change at Lake Lop Nur (Xinjiang, NW China) from 13.0 to 5.6 cal ka BP

Lake Lop Nur is located in the eastern part of the Tarim Basin in Xinjiang,northwestern China.A 220-cm-long sediment core was collected from the center of the ear-shaped depression forming the basin and dated with AMS^(14)C.Grain size,total organic matter(TOC),total nitrogen(TN),and TOC/TN(C/N)analyses were used to reconstruct climatic conditions from 13.0 to 5.6 cal ka BP.The results showed fi ve main climatic stages.Zone I(13.0–11.3 cal ka BP)was a wet–dry environment,whereas Zone II(11.3–8.9 cal ka BP)consisted of a primarily wet environment.Zone III(8.9–7.7 cal ka BP)was subdivided into Zone IIIa(8.9–8.2 cal ka BP)that indicated lake constriction and dry climate,and Zone IIIb(8.2–7.7 cal ka BP)in which the proxies indicated wet conditions.In Zone IV(7.7–6.6 cal ka BP),the climate presented a bit wet conditions.In Zone V(6.6–5.6 cal ka BP),abundant glauberite is present in the sediment and silt dominates the lithology;these results indicate the lake shrank and the overall climate was dry.Abrupt environmental events were also identifi ed,including six dry events at 11.0,10.5,9.3,8.6,8.2,and 7.6 cal ka BP and one fl ood event from 7.8 to 7.7 cal ka BP in the Early–Middle Holocene.

Trends in gravity changes from 2009 to 2013 derived from ground-based gravimetry and GRACE data in North China

North China is a key region for studying geophysical progress. In this study, ground-based and Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment（GRACE） gravity data from 2009 to 2013 are used to calculate the gravity change rate（GCR） using the polynomial fitting method. In general, the study area was divided into the Shanxi rift, Jing-Jin-Ji（Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Province）, and Bohai Bay Basin（BBB） regions. Results of the distribution of the GCR determined from ground-based gravimetry show that the GCR appears to be ＂negativepositive-negative＂ from west to east, which indicates that different geophysical mechanisms are involved in the tectonic activities of these regions. However, GRACE solutions are conducted over a larger spatial scale and are able to show a difference between southern and northern areas and a mass redistribution of land water storage.

Spatio-temporal distribution of net primary productivity along the northeast China transect and its response to climatic change

An improved Carnegie Ames Stanford Approach model （CASA model） was used to estimate the net primary productivity （NPP） of the Northeast China Transect （NECT） every month from 1982 to 2000. The spatial-temporal distribution of NPP along NECT and its response to climatic change were also analyzed. Results showed that the change tendency of NPP spatial distribution in NECT is quite similar to that of precipitation and their spatial correlation coefficient is up to 0.84 （P 〈 0.01）. The inter-annual variation of NPP in NECT is mainly affected by the change of the aestival NPP every year, which accounts for 67.6% of the inter-annual increase in NPP and their spatial correlation coefficient is 0.95 （P 〈 0.01）. The NPP in NECT is mainly cumulated between May and September, which accounts for 89.8% of the annual NPP. The NPP in summer （June to August） accounts for 65.9% of the annual NPP and is the lowest in winter. Recent climate changes have enhanced plant growth in NECT. The mean NPP increased 14.3% from 1980s to 1990s. The inter-annual linear trend of NPP is 4.6 gC·m^-2·a^-1, and the relative trend is 1.17%, which owns mainly to the increasing temperature.

Interannual Variation in Terrestrial Ecosystem Carbon Fluxes in China from 1981 to 1998

A dynamic biogeochemical model was used to estimate the responses of China's terrestrial net primary productivity (NPP), soil heterotrophic respiration (HR) and net ecosystem productivity (NEP) to changes in climate and atmospheric CO2 from 1981 to 1998. Results show that China's total NPP varied between 2.89 and 3.37 Gt C/a and had an increasing trend by 0.32% per year, HR varied between 2.89 and 3.21 Gt C/a and grew by 0.40% per year, Annual NEP varied between -0.32 and 0.25 Gt C but had no statistically significant interannual trend. The positive mean NEP indicates that China's terrestrial ecosystems were taking up carbon with a total carbon sequestration of 1.22 Gt C during the analysis period. The terrestrial NEP in China related to climate and atmospheric CO2 increases accounted for about 10% of the world's total and was similar to the level of the United States in the same period. The mean annual NEP for the analysis period was near to zero for most of the regions in China, but significantly positive NEP occurred in Northeast China Plain, the southeastern Xizang (Tibet) and Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, and negative NEP occurred in the Da Hinggan Mountains, Xiao Hinggan Mountains, Loess Plateau and Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. China's climate at the time was warm and dry relative to other periods, so the estimated NEP is probably lower than the average level. China's terrestrial NEP may increase if climate becomes wetter but is likely to continue to decrease if the present warming and drying trend sustains.

East Asian summer monsoon changes in subtropical China since late Pleistocene:Evidence from the Ailuropoda-Stegodon fauna

Previous studies on the amplitude of East Asian summer monsoon(EASM)changes mainly focused on northern China(represented by the Loess Plateau).However,a rare investigation centered on the subtropical zone of southern China,where the important route for EASM moved northward or southward,especially addressing a lack of the research on mammals.The Ailuropoda-Stegodon fauna is a representative mammal fauna in southern China since the late Pleistocene.It indicates the southern mid-subtropicaltropical forest environment with tropical climate characteristics,and its southward or northward movements in the subtropical zone imply the changes of EASM intensity.Based on previous research,combined with the species characteristics and distribution range of the Ailuropoda-Stegodon fauna with tropical animals during the marine isotope stage 5(MIS5),MIS3,MIS2,and MIS1 Megathermal periods,this paper mainly investigates its evolution and the fluctuations of EASM.The conclusions include:(1)The distribution geometric centers in the MIS5,MIS3,MIS2,and MIS1 Megathermal periods are(26°14′N,111°22′E),(24°35′N,107°30′E),(22°48′N,112°01′E),and(26°19′N,112°25′E),respectively.(2)Compared with the MIS5 period,the EASM of the MIS3 and MIS2 moved 180 km and 380 km southwards,and that of the MIS1 Megathermal period moved about 10 km northwards.The EASM movement indicated by the fauna migration happened synchronous with the climate records of stalagmites in subtropical China,the sporopollen from eastern China,and oxygen isotopes from Sulu Sea.They also correspond to the peaks and valleys of the total solar radiation at 35°N in the winter half-year.This suggests that the migrations of the Ailuropoda-Stegodon fauna are consistent with the changes of the global climate,and the driving force is mainly from the changes of total solar radiation at 35°N in the winter half-year.

Study on the Changes of Precipitation and Sunshine in Shenyang from 1951 to 2009

Based on the data of precipitation in Shenyang from 1951 to 2009,the variation characteristics of precipitation and sunshine hours in Shenyang in recent 59 years were analyzed and studied comprehensively from different time scales of annual,seasonal and monthly,etc..And the relationship between the precipitation and sunshine duration was analyzed.It was concluded that the changes of precipitation between years is big,the distribution of the precipitation among four seasons is uneven,and the overall change trend of the precipitation is in downward from 1951 to 2009.It was also found that the sunshine duration changes are generally in decreased trend.