Some Annual Variation Characteristics for the Northern Hemispheric Monthly Mean Precipitation Fields

By the utilization of monthly precipitation data from all stations in the Northern Hemisphere annexed to the 'World Survey of climatology, Vol. 1-15', the distributions of the maximum precipitation months (MPM), the annual relative precipitation (ARP) and the monthly relative precipitation (percent of annual) in January and July are respectively mapped. Moreover the distributions of intermonthly relative precipitation variabilities from January to December are plotted as well. From these figures, the precipitation in the Northern Hemisphere may be classified into three types(continental, oceanic and transitional types) and 17 regions. The precipitation regime may also be divided into two patterns, the global and regional patterns. The global pattern consists of planetary front system and ITCZ and its inter-monthly variation shows the north-and-south shift of the rain belt; the regional pattern consists of the sea-land monsoon and plateau monsoon regime, in which the inter-monthly variation of rain belt shows a east-and-wcst shift.

Temporal Variability of Extreme Precipitation in Jiangxi during 1961-2018

Using 58 years (1961 to 2018) of daily rainfall data, this study focuses on determining trends in the annual and seasonal precipitation extremes of Jiangxi, China, by choosing four extreme precipitation indices, including strong precipitation amount (SPA), mean precipitation intensity (MPI), strong precipitation days (SPD), and strong precipitation frequency (SPF). The monotonic trends are tested by using the Mann-Kendall test for the trends and Sen’s method for the magnitude of the trends. The effective sample size (ESS) method was used to eliminate the influence of serial correlation in the Mann-Kendall test. The results indicated that station Zixi had the strongest extreme precipitation, while Wanzai had the weakest. The trends for each index showed an obvious regional feature over Jiangxi. Increasing trends in annual extreme precipitation indices were found at almost all stations, and the annual variability of the extreme precipitation indices was pronounced, especially for the mean precipitation intensity and the strong precipitation frequency;the majority of these positive trends were shown by the statistical tests. In spring, four indices exhibited significant increasing trends in Northeast and Southwest Jiangxi;however, in summer, only MPI had a remarkable positive trend across almost all of Jiangxi. For the other indices, few stations had remarkable trends. In autumn, MPI and SPF showed remarkable increasing trends in most regions of Jiangxi, while SPA and SPD showed increasing trends at only 6 stations and 3 stations, respectively, which were scattered in the northern and middle parts. In winter, the stations with remarkable upward trends in SPA and SPD were mainly located in the middle of the region, whereas the significant patterns of MPI and SPF were located in the south and middle of the region.

Quantitative estimation of global mean precipitation throughout the Phanerozoic era

Quantitatively estimating the global mean precipitation(GMP)throughout Earth's history is crucial for enhancing our understanding of long-term climate evolution and the hydrological cycle.However,currently there is no established methodology for estimating global mean paleoprecipitation.Here,we present the first study that estimates GMP in the Phanerozoic era.The relationship between GMP and global mean surface temperature(GMST)is investigated by analyzing data from 23 models in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 6(CMIP6).The result reveals consistent and significant impact of temperature on precipitation,with a sensitivity range of 2–3%K^(-1).Additionally,we propose a method for accessing latitudinal variations in precipitation caused by land area distributions and paleo-Koppen climatic belts.These climatic belts are determined based on geological indicators such as coals,evaporites,and glacial deposits.The GMP is thus quantitatively estimated by combining variations in GMST,land area distributions,and paleo-koppen climatic belts,spanning from 540 Ma to the present day.The quantitative GMP curve demonstrates fluctuations in GMP about 500 mm yr^(-1),with values ranging from 948 to1442 mm yr-1over the Phanerozoic era.This curve aligns closely with findings derived from numerical simulations.The presented paleoprecipitation variations facilitate a more comprehensive understanding of the interconnected geological and paleoclimatic developments.

Spatial and temporal relationships between precipitation and ANPP of four types of grasslands in northern China

Precipitation is considered to be the primary resource limiting terrestrial biological activity in water-limited regions. Its overriding effect on the production of grassland is complex. In this paper, field data of 48 sites （including temperate meadow steppe, temperate steppe, temperate desert steppe and alpine meadow） were gathered from 31 published papers and monographs to analyze the relationship between above-ground net primary productivity （ANPP） and precipitation by the method of regression analysis. The results indicated that there was a great difference between spatial pattern and temporal pattern by which precipitation influenced grassland ANPP. Mean annual precipitation （MAP） was the main factor determining spatial distribution of grassland ANPP （r^2 = 0.61, P 〈 0.01）; while temporally, no significant relationship was found between the variance of AN PP and inter-annual precipitation for the four types of grassland. However, after dividing annual preeipitation into monthly value and taking time lag effect into account, the study found significant relationships between ANPP and precipitation. For the temperate meadow steppe, the key variable determining inter-annual change of ANPP was last August-May precipitation （r^2 = 0.47, P = 0.01）; for the temperate steppe, the key variable was July precipitation （r^2 = 0.36, P = 0.02）; for the temperate desert steppe, the key variable was April-June precipitation （r^2 = 0.51, P 〈 0.01）; for the alpine meadow, the key variable was last September-May precipitation （r^2 = 0.29, P 〈 0.05）. In comparison with analogous research, the study demonstrated that the key factor determining inter-annual changes of grassland ANPP was the cumulative precipitation in certain periods of that year or the previous year.

Variations in Regional Mean Daily Precipitation Extremes and Related Circulation Anomalies over Central China During Boreal Summer

The variations of regional mean daily precipitation extreme （RMDPE） events in central China and associated circulation anomalies during June, July, and August （JJA） of 1961-2010 are investigated by using daily in-situ precipitation observations and the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data. The precipitation data were collected at 239 state-level stations distributed throughout the provinces of Henan, Hubei, and Hunan. During 1961-2010, the 99th percentile threshold for RMDPE is 23.585 mm day-1. The number of RMDPE events varies on both interannual and interdecadal timescales, and increases significantly after the mid 1980s. The RMDPE events happen most frequently between late June and mid July, and are generally associated with anomalous baroclinic tropospheric circulations. The supply of moisture to the southern part of central China comes in a stepping way from the outer-region of an abnormal anticyclone over the Bay of Bengal and the South China Sea. Fluxes of wave activity generated over the northeastern Tibetan Plateau converge over central China, which favors the genesis and maintenance of wave disturbances over the region. RMDPE events typically occur in tandem with a strong heating gradient formed by net heating in central China and the large-scale net cooling in the surrounding area. The occurrence of RMDPE events over central China is tied to anomalous local cyclonic circulations, topographic forcing over the northeast Tibetan Plateau, and anomalous gradients of diabatic heating between central China and the surrounding areas.

Biomass Components and Environmental Controls in Ningxia Grasslands

Grassland plays an important role in the global carbon cycle and climate regulation. However, there are still large uncertainties in grassland carbon pool and also its role in global carbon cycle due to the lack of measured grassland biomass at regional scale or global scale with a unified survey method, particular for below-ground biomass. The present study, based on a total of 44 grassland sampling plots with 220 quadrats across Ningxia, investigated the characteristics of above-ground biomass （AGB）, below-ground biomass （BGB）, litter biomass （LB）, total biomass （TB） and root：shoot ratios （R：S） for six predominantly grassland types, and their relationships with climatic factors. AGB, BGB, LB and TB varied markedly across different grassland types, the median value ranging from 28.2-692.6 g m-2 for AGB, 130.4-2 036.6 g m-： for BGB, 9.2-82.3 g m2 for LB, and 168.0-2 681.3 g m-： for TB. R：S showed less variation with median values from 3.2 to 5.3 （excluding marshy meadow）. The different grassland types showed similar patterns of biomass allocation, with more than 70% BGB for all types. There is evidence of strong positive effects associated with mean annual precipitation （MAP） and negative effects associated with mean annual temperature （MAT） on AGB, BGB, and LB, although both factors have the opposite effect on R：S.

Zonal Differences in Correlation Patterns Between Soil Organic Carbon and Climate Factors at Multi-extent

Studying the relationship between climate factors and soil organic carbon （SOC） is vitally important. However, how SOC responses to climate （temperature and precipitation） at cohesive extents is poorly studied. Two transects of approximately the same length （transect P and transect T） were selected to examine the variation of SOC content in relation to mean annual temperature （MAT） and mean annual precipitation （MAP）. The coefficients of partial correlation between SOC density and MAT （Rt） and MAP （Rp） were determined to quantify the relationships between SOC density and the two climate factors. The results indicated that for transect T, Rt was statistically significant once the extent level was greater than or equal to two fundamental extent units, while for transect P, Rp showed statistical significance only at extent levels which were greater than two fundamental extent traits. At the same extent levels but in different transects, Rts exhibited no zonal difference, but Rps did once the extent level was greater than two fundamental extent units. Therefore, to study the relationship between SOC density and different climate factors, different minimum extent levels should be ex- amined. The results of this paper could deepen the understanding of the impacts that SOC pool has on terrestrial ecosystem and global carbon cycling.

An enhanced influence of sea surface temperature in the tropical northern Atlantic on the following winter ENSO since the early 1980s

Previous studies have revealed a connection between springtime sea surface temperature （SST） in the tropical northern Atlantic （TNA） and the succeeding wintertime El Nino-Southern Oscillation （ENSO）. The present analysis demonstrates that the linkage between springtime TNA SST and the following ENSO experiences an obvious interdecadal change around the early 1980s, with the connection being weak before but significant after. After the early 1980s, springtime positive TNA SST anomalies induce an anomalous cyclone over the northeastern subtropical Pacific and an anomalous Walker circulation with a descending branch over the tropical central-eastern Pacific. This leads to anomalous cold SST in the northeastern Pacific and an anomalous anticyclone over the western-central tropical Pacific, with anomalous easterlies to the equatorward side. As such, springtime TNA SST anomalies are followed by wintertime ENSO after the early 1980s. In contrast, before the early 1980s, anomalous cold SST in the northeastern Pacific and related anomalous easterlies over the western-central tropical Pacific are weak, corresponding to springtime positive TNA SST anomalies and resulting in a weak linkage between springtimeTNA SST and the succeeding wintertime ENSO. Further investigation implies that the change in the TNA SST-ENSO relationship is probably due to a change in springtime mean precipitation over the tropical Atlantic and South America.

Correlation Analysis of Rice Seed Setting Rate and Weight of 1 000-Grain and Agro-Meteorology over the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River,China

The purpose of this study is to reveal the effects of historic climate change on rice yield over the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, China, and to better adapt to climate change in the future. This study presents the relation of temperature and precipitation and rice components from 1981 to 2003 at 48 early rice stations and 30 middle rice stations. It focuses on an analysis of three stages： flowering, pre-milk, and late milk. The results show that mean maximum temperature and mean daily precipitation at the stages of flowering and pre-milk are most related to early rice yield. Yield change of middle rice is mainly because of mean precipitation change at the flowering stage. Furthermore, percentage of undeveloped grain increases as mean maximum temperature rises at the flowering stage. Over-precipitation in the reproductive stage is a major reason for reduction in yield of early rice. Consecutive rainfall and continuous high temperature can have negative effects on middle rice yield. Global warming would affect middle rice more seriously than early rice.

Responses of phreatophyte transpiration to falling water table in hyper-arid and arid regions,Northwest China

Quantitative assessment of the impact of groundwater depletion on phreatophytes in(hyper-)arid regions is key to sustainable groundwater management.However,a parsimonious model for predicting the response of phreatophytes to a decrease of the water table is lacking.A variable saturated flow model,HYDRUS-1D,was used to numerically assess the influences of depth to the water table(DWT)and mean annual precipitation(MAP)on transpiration of groundwater-dependent vegetation in(hyper-)arid regions of northwest China.An exponential relationship is found for the normalized transpiration(a ratio of transpiration at a certain DWT to transpiration at 1 m depth,T_(a)^(*))with increasing DWT,while a positive linear relationship is identified between T_(a)^(*)and annual precipitation.Sensitivity analysis shows that the model is insensitive to parameters,such as saturated soil hydraulic conductivity and water stress parameters,indicated by an insignificant variation(less than 20%in most cases)under±50%changes of these parameters.Based on these two relationships,a universal model has been developed to predict the response of phreatophyte transpiration to groundwater drawdown for(hyper-)arid regions using MAP only.The estimated T_(a)^(*)from the model is reasonable by comparing with published measured values.

Influence of Climate on Soil Organic Carbon in Chinese Paddy Soils

Soil organic carbon(SOC) is a major component of the global carbon cycle and has a potentially large impact on the greenhouse effect. Paddy soils are important agricultural soils worldwide, especially in Asia. Thus, a better understanding of the relationship between SOC of paddy soils and climate variables is crucial to a robust understanding of the potential effect of climate change on the global carbon cycle. A soil profile data set(n = 1490) from the Second National Soil Survey of China conducted from 1979 to 1994 was used to explore the relationships of SOC density with mean annual temperature(MAT) and mean annual precipitation(MAP) in six soil regions and eight paddy soil subgroups. Results showed that SOC density of paddy soils was negatively correlated with MAT and positively correlated with MAP(P < 0.01). The relationships of SOC density with MAT and MAP were weak and varied among the six soil regions and eight paddy soil subgroups. A preliminary assessment of the response of SOC in Chinese paddy soils to climate indicated that climate could lead to a 13% SOC loss from paddy soils. Compared to other soil regions, paddy soils in Northern China will potentially more sensitive to climate change over the next several decades. Paddy soils in Middle and Lower Yangtze River Basin could be a potential carbon sink. Reducing the climate impact on paddy soil SOC will mitigate the positive feedback loop between SOC release and global climate change.

Establishment and analysis of global gridded Tm-Ts relationship model

In ground-based GPS meteorology, Tm is a key parameter to calculate the conversion factor that can convert the zenith wet delay（ZWD） to precipitable water vapor（PWV）. It is generally acknowledged that Tm is in an approximate linear relationship with surface temperature Ts, and the relationship presents regional variation. This paper employed sliding average method to calculate correlation coefficients and linear regression coefficients between Tm and Ts at every 2°× 2.5° grid point using Ts data from European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts（ECMWF） and Tm data from ＂GGOS Atmosphere＂, yielding the grid and bilinear interpolation-based Tm Grid model. Tested by Tm and Ts grid data, Constellation Observation System of Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate（COSMIC） data and radiosonde data, the Tm Grid model shows a higher accuracy relative to the Bevis Tm-Ts relationship which is widely used nowadays. The Tm Grid model will be of certain practical value in high-precision PWV calculation.

Mismatch between species distribution and climatic niche optima in relation to functional traits

Background:Forecasts of climate change impacts on biodiversity often assume that the current geographical distributions of species match their niche optima.However,empirical evidence has challenged this assumption,suggesting a mismatch.We examine whether the mismatch is related to functional traits along temperature or precipitation gradients.Methods:The observed distributions of 32 tree species in northeast China were evaluated to test this mismatch.Bayesian models were used to estimate the climatic niche optima,i.e.the habitats where the highest species growth and density can be expected.The mismatch is defined as the difference between the actual species occurrence in an assumed niche optimum and the habitat with the highest probability of species occurrence.Species’functional traits were used to explore the mechanisms that may have caused the mismatches.Results:Contrasting these climatic niche optima with the observed species distributions,we found that the distribution-niche optima mismatch had high variability among species based on temperature and precipitation gradients.However,these mismatches depended on functional traits associated with competition and migration lags only in temperature gradients.Conclusions:We conclude that more relevant research is needed in the future to quantify the mismatch between species distribution and climatic niche optima,which may be crucial for future designs of forested landscapes,species conservation and dynamic forecasting of biodiversity under expected climate change.

The partitioning patterns of nutrients between pods and seeds of Zanthoxylum fruits impacted by environmental factors

The nutritive quality in plant organs is related to the different partitioning patterns of nutrient resources among the organs under various environmental conditions.This study examined the relationship between the nutritive quality of pods and seeds in Zanthoxylum and environmental factors, such as temperature and preciptation by using numerous samples collected from Southwest China to the East China of Shandong peninsula. The increasing accumulations of N, P and C in seeds implied that the nutritive quality in seeds was higher at the regions with relative higher mean annual temperature(MAT) and mean annual precipitation(MAP), while that in pods was on the contrary. By contrast, pod nutritive content was relatively high, but seed nutritive content was relatively low at the regions with relative high MAT and MAP. In addition, C:N ratio in pods was significantly and negatively correlated with MAT and MAP, while that in seed was significantly and positively correlated with MAT and MAP. The partitioning patterns of N-compounds between pods and seeds reflected different nitrogen translocations in the plant organs under various climate condition. The N:P ratios were negatively correlated with MAP, implying a higher proportional allocation of P to seeds than that of N in the areas with a relative high MAP. Therefore, the strategies to assess pod nutritional quality should be taken into accountfor nutritive translocation under various environmental conditions.

Changes in the relationship between species richness and belowground biomass among grassland types and along environmental gradients in Xinjiang, Northwest China

The association between biodiversity and belowground biomass(BGB) remains a central debate in ecology.In this study, we compared the variations in species richness(SR) and BGB as well as their interaction in the top(0–20 cm), middle(20–50 cm) and deep(50–100 cm) soil depths among 8 grassland types(lowland meadow, temperate desert, temperate desert steppe, temperate steppe desert, temperate steppe, temperate meadow steppe, mountain meadow and alpine steppe) and along environmental gradients(elevation, energy condition(annual mean temperature(AMT) and potential evapotranspiration(PET)), and mean annual precipitation(MAP)) based on a 2011–2013 survey of 379 sites in Xinjiang, Northwest China.The SR and BGB varied among the grassland types.The alpine steppe had a medium level of SR but the highest BGB in the top soil depth, whereas the lowland meadow had the lowest SR but the highest BGB in the middle and deep soil depths.The SR and BGB in the different soil depths were tightly associated with elevation, MAP and energy condition;however, the particular forms of trends in SR and BGB depended on environmental factors and soil depths.The relationship between SR and BGB was unimodal in the top soil depth, but SR was positively related with BGB in the middle soil depth.Although elevation, MAP, energy condition and SR had significant effects on BGB, the variations in BGB in the top soil depth were mostly determined by elevation, and those in the middle and deep soil depths were mainly affected by energy condition.These findings highlight the importance of environmental factors in the regulations of SR and BGB as well as their interaction in the grasslands in Xinjiang.

Potassium isotopic signatures of modern offshore detrital sediments from different climatic regimes and the implications

Potassium isotopes are a novel tracer for continental weathering.Previous K isotope studies on chemical weathering generally targeted weathering profiles under a particular climate region,yet the effects of chemical weathering on K isotopes under different climatic backgrounds remain unclear.Moreover,little is known about the K isotope signatures of modern unconsolidated detrital sediments.Here,we report K isotopic data of surficial seafloor sediments from continental shelves along the east coast of China(ECC),as well as those around the tropical Hainan island in the northern South China Sea.The ECC sediments have a relatively narrow distribution ofδ^(41)K(with reference to NIST3141a)values,which range from(-0.40±0.01)‰to(-0.57±0.04)‰,with an average of(-0.51±0.09)‰.By contrast,δ^(41)K values of Hainan offshore sediments display a larger variation,ranging from(-0.28±0.07)‰to(-0.67±0.02)‰.Theδ^(41)K values of Hainan offshore sediments exhibit negative correlations with the chemical index of alteration(CIA),Al/K,Ti/K,and total iron(FeT),which underlines the control of chemical weathering on K isotopic signatures of detritus inputs into oceans.We also measured Mg isotope compositions for the same samples;interestingly,the variability inδ^(26)Mg of the samples is small(~0.24‰)for all ECC and Hainan offshore sediments,andδ^(26)Mg values do not show clear correlations with indexes of chemical weathering.Our study demonstrates the link between K isotopic variability of detrital sediments and climatic conditions including rainfall intensity,which indicates that K isotopes of the detrital component of marine sediments could be applied to study Earth’s climate in deep time.Theδ^(41)K values of the offshore detrital sediments are significantly less variable than those of pelagic marine sediments,highlighting the importance of distinguishing the effects of diagenesis and neoformation of clay minerals from continental weathering in attempts to study deep-time climate-weathering link by K isotopes in detrital sedimentary records.

Multi-Model Ensemble Projection of Precipitation Changes over China under Global Warming of 1.5 and 2℃ with Consideration of Model Performance and Independence

A weighting scheme jointly considering model performance and independence(PI-based weighting scheme) is employed to deal with multi-model ensemble prediction of precipitation over China from 17 global climate models. Four precipitation metrics on mean and extremes are used to evaluate the model performance and independence. The PIbased scheme is also compared with a rank-based weighting scheme and the simple arithmetic mean(AM) scheme. It is shown that the PI-based scheme achieves notable improvements in western China, with biases decreasing for all parameters. However, improvements are small and almost insignificant in eastern China. After calibration and validation, the scheme is used for future precipitation projection under the 1.5 and 2℃ global warming targets(above preindustrial level). There is a general tendency to wetness for most regions in China, especially in terms of extreme precipitation. The PI scheme shows larger inhomogeneity in spatial distribution. For the total precipitation PRCPTOT(95 th percentile extreme precipitation R95 P), the land fraction for a change larger than 10%(20%) is 22.8%(53.4%)in PI, while 13.3%(36.8%) in AM, under 2℃ global warming. Most noticeable increase exists in central and east parts of western China.

Late Pleistocene spore-pollen record and climatic change at the Chongphadae Cave Site,Democratic People's Republic of Korea

We present a detailed pollen record and interpretations of late Pleistocene climatic change at the Chongphadae Cave Site, Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The mean annual paleotemperature and mean annual paleoprecipitation of the site were calculated using the temperature index and precipitation index based on ecological features and geographical distribution of each taxon. Temperature index and precipitation index range from 8.8℃ to 10.4℃ and from 805.0 mm to 963.1 mm, respectively. Four dates(radiocarbon, uranium series, fission track, and paleomagnetic excursion dating) of the deposit profile investigated yield a range of ~21.3 ka BP to ~117 ka BP, geochronologically corresponding to the late Pleistocene, and extend from the last interglacial highstand through the Last Glacial Maximum. Our results are thus consistent with the climatic shift from interglacial to glacial conditions, provide evidence that the environments of the region, which was reconstructed from the paleoclimatic index, changed from a mild and humid to a cool and dry climate during the late Pleistocene, and suggest trends similar to those of several parts of the Northern Hemisphere which lie in the same latitudinal zone as our study area.

Variations of root and heterotrophic respiration along environmental gradients in China’s forests

Aims Root and heterotrophic respiration may respond differently to environmental variability,but little evidence is available from largescale observations.Here we aimed to examine variations of root and heterotrophic respiration across broad geographic,climatic,soil and biotic gradients.Methods We conducted a synthesis of 59 field measurements on root and heterotrophic respiration across China’s forests.Important Findings Root and heterotrophic respiration varied differently with forest types,of which evergreen broadleaf forest was significantly different from those in other forest types on heterotrophic respiration but without statistically significant differences on root respiration.The results also indicated that root and heterotrophic respiration exhibited similar trends along gradients of precipitation,soil organic carbon and satellite-indicated vegetation growth.However,they exhibited different relationships with temperature:root respiration exhibited bimodal patterns along the temperature gradient,while heterotrophic respiration increased monotonically with temperature.Moreover,they showed different relationships with MOD17 GPP,with increasing trend observed for root respiration whereas insignificant change for heterotrophic respiration.In addition,root and heterotrophic respiration exhibited different changes along the age sequence,with insignificant change for root respiration and decreasing trend for heterotrophic respiration.Overall,these results suggest that root and heterotrophic respiration may respond differently to environmental variability.Our findings could advance our understanding on the different environmental controls of root and heterotrophic respiration and also improve our ability to predict soil CO_(2) flux under a changing environment.

Carbon and Nitrogen Storage in Inner Mongolian Grasslands: Relationships with Climate and Soil Texture

Understanding the spatial variability of soil carbon （C） storage and its relationship with climate and soil texture is critical for developing regional C models and for predicting the potential impact of climate change on soil C storage. On the basis of soil data from a transect across the Inner Mongolian grasslands, we determined the quantitative relationships of C and nitrogen （N） in bulk soil and particle-size fractions （sand, silt, and clay） with climate and soil texture to evaluate the major factors controlling soil C and N storage and to predict the effect of climate changes on soil C and N storage. The contents of C and N in the bulk soil and the different fractions in the 0 20 and 20 40 cm soil layers were positively correlated with the mean annum precipitation （MAP） and negatively correlated with the mean annual temperature （MAT）. The responses of C storage in the soil and particle-size fractions to MAP and MAT were more sensitive in the 0-20 cm than in the 2（~40 cm soil layer. Although MAP and MAT were both important factors influencing soil C storage, the models that include only MAP could well explain the variation in soil C storage in the Inner Mongolian grasslands. Because of the high correlation between MAP and MAT in the region, the models including MAT did not significantly enhance the model precision. Moreover, the contribution of the fine fraction （silt and clay） to the variation in soil C storage was rather small because of the very low fine fraction content in the Inner Mongolian grasslands.