Regional climate models (RCMs) have the potential for more detailed surface characteristic and mesoscale modeling results than general circulation models (GCMs).These advantages have drawn significant focus on RCM dev...Regional climate models (RCMs) have the potential for more detailed surface characteristic and mesoscale modeling results than general circulation models (GCMs).These advantages have drawn significant focus on RCM development in East Asia.The Regional Integrated Environment Modeling System,version 2.0 (RIEMS2.0),has been developed from an earlier RCM,RIEMS1.0,by the Key Laboratory of Regional ClimateEnvironment for Temperate East Asia (RCE-TEA) and Nanjing University.A numerical experiment covering 1979 to 2008 (simulation duration from 1 January 1978 to 31 December 2008) with a 50-km spatial resolution was performed to test the ability of RIEMS2.0 to simulate long-term climate and climate changes in East Asia and to provide a basis for further development and applications.The simulated surface air temperature (SAT) was compared with observed meteorological data.The results show that RIEMS2.0 simulation reproduced the SAT spatial distribution in East Asia but that it was underestimated.The simulated 30-year averaged SAT was approximately 2.0°C lower than the observed SAT.The annual and interannual variations in the averaged SAT and their anomalies were both well reproduced in the model.A further analysis of three sub-regions representing different longitudinal ranges showed that there is a good correlation and consistency between the simulated results and the observed data.The annual variations,interannual variations for the averaged SAT,and the anomalies in the three sub-regions were also captured well by the model.In summary,RIEMS2.0 shows stability and does well both in simulating the long-term SAT in East Asia and in expressing sub-regional characteristics.展开更多
This paper demonstrates regional characteristics, a long-term decreasing trend, and decadal variations in the frequency of cold surge events based on daily mean temperature and daily minimum temperature data in China&...This paper demonstrates regional characteristics, a long-term decreasing trend, and decadal variations in the frequency of cold surge events based on daily mean temperature and daily minimum temperature data in China's Mainland from 1960 to 2008. During these 48 years four high frequency centers of cold surge events were located in Xinjiang, central North China, northeast China, and southeast China. A main frequency peak of cold surge events occurs in autumn for the four regions and another peak is detected in spring over northeast China and southeast China. The regional pattern of cold surge frequencies is in accordance with the perturbation kinetic energy distribution in October December, January, and February April. The long-term decreasing trend ( 0.2 times/decade) of cold surge frequencies in northeast China and decadal variations in China are related to the variations of the temperature difference between southern and northern China in the winter monsoon season; these variations are due to the significant rising of winter temperatures in high latitudes.展开更多
A regional climate model(RegCM4)is used to project climate change over China in the twenty-first century under the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 pathways.The driving GCM is CSIRO Mk3.6.0(hereafter referred to simply as CSIRO),and...A regional climate model(RegCM4)is used to project climate change over China in the twenty-first century under the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 pathways.The driving GCM is CSIRO Mk3.6.0(hereafter referred to simply as CSIRO),and the simulation(hereafter referred to as CdR)is run at a grid spacing of 25 km.The focus of the present paper is on the changes in mean surface air temperature and precipitation in December–January–February(DJF)and June–July–August(JJA)over China.Validation of the model performances is provided first,followed by a comparison of future changes projected by CSIRO and CdR.Substantial warming in the future is simulated by both models,being more pronounced in DJF compared to JJA,and under RCP8.5 compared to RCP4.5.The warming shows different spatial patterns and,to a less extent,magnitude between CSIRO and CdR.Precipitation change shows a general increase in DJF and a mixture of increase and decrease in JJA.Substantial differences between the two models are found in for precipitation change in JJA.The paper further emphasizes the uncertainties in climate change projection over the region.展开更多
Using the U.S. National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research reanalysis data at 1°× 1° o resolution, analysis is performed on a persistent heavy rainfall event w...Using the U.S. National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research reanalysis data at 1°× 1° o resolution, analysis is performed on a persistent heavy rainfall event with two rain bands to the south of the Yangtze River during 17-22 June 2005. The northern rain band was related to the atmospheric mass adjustment of cold front precipitation and the associated ageostrophic feature to the rear right of subtropical westerly jets, while the southern counterpart formed under the joint influence of easterly/westerly jets and the South Asian high (SAH). The ageostrophic wind field to the rear right of the easterly jet center gives rise to an anti-circulation that favors the genesis of the southern belt. The feature ofdu/dt 〈0 around the SAH ridge line and to the rear right of the easterly jet streak results in a strong v - vg〈O field in the vicinity of the rain region as well as to its south. When westerly jets move southward, an intense v Vg〉0 feature appears to the north of the rain region, i.e., behind the center of the westerly jets. The associated mass adjustment leads to vigorous divergence over the rain region, which is responsible for the strong precipitation from the warm sector of the front. Also, a θe front at the middle level of the southern rain band and the cold front favor the release of instable energy to enhance the rainstorm. The southern and northern fronts approach each other and the two rain belts merge into one.展开更多
Four sets of climate change simulations at grid spacing of 50 km were conducted over East Asia with two regional climate models driven at the lateral bounda- ries by two global models for the period 1981-2050. The loc...Four sets of climate change simulations at grid spacing of 50 km were conducted over East Asia with two regional climate models driven at the lateral bounda- ries by two global models for the period 1981-2050. The locus of the study was on the ensemble projection of cli- mate change in the mid-21st century (2031-50) over China. Validation of each simulation and the ensemble average showed good performances of the models overall, as well as advantages of the ensemble in reproducing present day (1981 2000) December-February (DJF), June-August (JJA), and annual (ANN) mean temperature and precipitation. Significant wanning was projected for the mid-21st century, with larger values of temperature increase found in the northern part of China and in the cold seasons. The ensemble average changes of precipitation in DJF, JJA, and ANN were determined, and the uncertainties of the projected changes analyzed based on the consistencies of the simulations. It was concluded that the largest uncertainties in precipitation projection are in eastern China during the summer season (monsoon pre-cipitation).展开更多
Recently, study in past trends of climate variables gained significant consideration because of its contribution in adaptions and mitigation strategies for potential future changes in climate, primarily in the area of...Recently, study in past trends of climate variables gained significant consideration because of its contribution in adaptions and mitigation strategies for potential future changes in climate, primarily in the area of water resource management. Future interannual and inter-seasonal variations in maximum and minimum temperature may bring significant changes in hydrological systems and affect regional water resources. The present study has been performed to observe past(1970-2010) as well as future(2011-2100)spatial and temporal variability in temperature(maximum and minimum) over selected stations of Sutlej basin located in North-Western Himalayan region in India. The generation of future time series of temperature data at different stations is done using statistical downscaling technique. The nonparametric test methods, modified Mann-Kendall test and Cumulative Sum chart are used for detecting monotonic trend and sequential shift in time series of maximum and minimum temperature. Sen's slope estimator test is used to detect the magnitude of change over a period of time on annual and seasonal basis. The cooling experienced in annual TMax and TMin at Kasol in past(1970-2010) would be replaced by warming in future as increasing trends are detected in TMax during 2020 s and 2050 s and in TMin during 2020 s, 2050 s and 2080 s under A1 B and A2 scenarios. Similar results of warming are also predicted at Sunnifor annual TMin in future under both scenarios which witnessed cooling during 1970-2010. The rise in TMin at Rampur is predicted to be continued in future as increasing trends are obtained under both the scenarios. Seasonal trend analysis reveals large variability in trends of TMax and TMin over these stations for the future periods.展开更多
The future climate dynamical downscaling method is that output of general circulation models( GCMs) is employed to provide initial conditions,lateral boundary conditions,sea surface temperatures,and initial land surfa...The future climate dynamical downscaling method is that output of general circulation models( GCMs) is employed to provide initial conditions,lateral boundary conditions,sea surface temperatures,and initial land surface conditions to regional climate models( RCMs). There are two methods of downscaling: offline coupling and online coupling. The two kinds of coupling methods are described in detail by coupling the Weather Research and Forecasting model( WRF) with the Institute of Atmospheric Physics of Chinese Academy of Sciences Atmospheric General Circulation Model Version 4. 0( IAP AGCM4. 0) in the study. And the extreme precipitation event over Beijing on July 212012 is simulated by using the two coupling methods. Results show that online coupling method is of great value in improving the model simulation. Furthermore,the data exchange frequency of online coupling has some effect on simulation result.展开更多
To detect the impacts of urban surface expansion on surface air temperature at 2-m(SAT) in Shanghai, China, nested numerical integrations based on satellite-derived urban data between the 1980 s and 2010 s were perf...To detect the impacts of urban surface expansion on surface air temperature at 2-m(SAT) in Shanghai, China, nested numerical integrations based on satellite-derived urban data between the 1980 s and 2010 s were performed using the Weather Research and Forecasting(WRF) model. Urban surface expansion induced an annual-averaged warming of 0.31 °C from 1980 to 2016 across the whole of Shanghai, showing the greatest intensity between 2010 and 2016. The values were 0.36, 0.78, and 0.75 °C over grids that were classified as urban in both time periods(U2 U), landuse grids that changed from non-urban to urban(N2 U), and urban areas(including U2 U and N2 U), respectively, and revealed weak warming over the inner-ring areas because the urban surfaces had been there since the 1980 s, whereas warming areas were coincident with the outward expansion of the urban surface. Meanwhile, marked seasonal variations could be detected, which were greater in spring and summer but less in autumn and winter. The approximately homogenously distributed SAT maximum(weaker) and heterogeneously SAT minimum(stronger) contributed to the decreased diurnal temperature range. Regional warming induced by urban surface expansion was approximately 0.12 °C per decade, which accounted for 19% of the overall warming across the whole of Shanghai. The values were 0.11 °C per decade and 0.39 °C per decade over U2 U and N2 U, which accounted for approximately 17% and 42% of the overall warming, respectively, and resulted in approximately 41% of the overall warming over urban areas.展开更多
Based on runoff, air temperature, and precipitation data from 1960 to 2010, the effects of climate change on water resources in the arid region of the northwestern China were investigated. The long-term trends of hydr...Based on runoff, air temperature, and precipitation data from 1960 to 2010, the effects of climate change on water resources in the arid region of the northwestern China were investigated. The long-term trends of hydroclimatic variables were studied by using both Mann-Kendall test and distributed-free cumulative sum (CUSUM) chart test. Results indicate that the mean annual air temperature increases significantly from 1960 to 2010. The annual precipitation exhibits an increasing trend, especially in the south slope of the Tianshan Mountains and the North Uygur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang in the study period. Step changes occur in 1988 in the mean annual air temperature time series and in 1991 in the precipitation time series. The runoff in different basins shows different trends, i.e., significantly increasing in the Kaidu River, the Aksu River and the Shule River, and decreasing in the Shiyang River. Correlation analy- sis reveals that the runoff in the North Xinjiang (i.e., the Weigan River, the Heihe River, and the Shiyang River) has a strong positive relationship with rainfall, while that in the south slope of the Tianshan Mountains, the middle section of the north slope of the Tianshan Mountains and the Shule River has a strong positive relationship with air temperature. The trends of rtmoff have strong negative correla- tions with glacier coverage and the proportion of glacier water in runoff. From the late 1980s, the climate has become warm and wet in the arid region of the northwestern China. The change in runoff is interacted with air temperature, precipitation and glacier coverage. The results show that streamflow in the arid region of the northwestern China is sensitive to climate change, which can be used as a reference for regional water resource assessment and management.展开更多
Seasonal ice cover is uncommon on Australian lakes. In the Snowy Mountains, there are five natural, seasonally ice-covered lakes including Lake Cootapatamba, the highest lake in Australia. Blue Lake is the only one of...Seasonal ice cover is uncommon on Australian lakes. In the Snowy Mountains, there are five natural, seasonally ice-covered lakes including Lake Cootapatamba, the highest lake in Australia. Blue Lake is the only one of the five lakes with sufficient volume to be relatively independent of short-term changes in ambient temperature, and therefore is the lake most likely to be of use in tracking long-term regional climate change. Ice forms on Blue Lake near the winter solstice and ice-breakup occurs from late September to November. Timing of breakup is related to spring temperature and, as such, mirrors the timing of general snow thaw in the mountains. The existence of historic photographs taken of the lake at about the time of ice breakup allows for the possibility of reconstructing a history of alpine climate and in 1905 ice breakup was probably as late as mid-December.展开更多
Daily temperature data from 599 stations across China for the years 1961 to 2007 were used to analyze the changes in the natural regional boundaries. The results show that the accumulated temperature ≥10℃ and its du...Daily temperature data from 599 stations across China for the years 1961 to 2007 were used to analyze the changes in the natural regional boundaries. The results show that the accumulated temperature ≥10℃ and its duration changed dramatically from the end of 1990s to the early 21 st century. The amplitude of natural regional boundaries was greater in the 21st century than it was in the 20th century. In the eastern region of China, the climatic zones were migrating generally northward, with the northern edge of the subtropical zone and the eastern section of the warm temperate zone showing an obvious northward shift of up to 1-3° of latitude. The climatic zones moved south in the Qinghal-Tibet Plateau, western Inner Mongolia, and some areas of western Xinjiang, and slightly to the north in other parts of the western region.展开更多
基金supported by the National Basic Research Program of China under Grant 2011CB952003the Chinese Academy of Sciences Strategic Priority Program under Grant XDA05090206the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant 40975053
文摘Regional climate models (RCMs) have the potential for more detailed surface characteristic and mesoscale modeling results than general circulation models (GCMs).These advantages have drawn significant focus on RCM development in East Asia.The Regional Integrated Environment Modeling System,version 2.0 (RIEMS2.0),has been developed from an earlier RCM,RIEMS1.0,by the Key Laboratory of Regional ClimateEnvironment for Temperate East Asia (RCE-TEA) and Nanjing University.A numerical experiment covering 1979 to 2008 (simulation duration from 1 January 1978 to 31 December 2008) with a 50-km spatial resolution was performed to test the ability of RIEMS2.0 to simulate long-term climate and climate changes in East Asia and to provide a basis for further development and applications.The simulated surface air temperature (SAT) was compared with observed meteorological data.The results show that RIEMS2.0 simulation reproduced the SAT spatial distribution in East Asia but that it was underestimated.The simulated 30-year averaged SAT was approximately 2.0°C lower than the observed SAT.The annual and interannual variations in the averaged SAT and their anomalies were both well reproduced in the model.A further analysis of three sub-regions representing different longitudinal ranges showed that there is a good correlation and consistency between the simulated results and the observed data.The annual variations,interannual variations for the averaged SAT,and the anomalies in the three sub-regions were also captured well by the model.In summary,RIEMS2.0 shows stability and does well both in simulating the long-term SAT in East Asia and in expressing sub-regional characteristics.
基金supported jointly by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (40975039)the National Basic Research Program of China (2006CB400504/ 2009CB421401 and GYHY20070605)
文摘This paper demonstrates regional characteristics, a long-term decreasing trend, and decadal variations in the frequency of cold surge events based on daily mean temperature and daily minimum temperature data in China's Mainland from 1960 to 2008. During these 48 years four high frequency centers of cold surge events were located in Xinjiang, central North China, northeast China, and southeast China. A main frequency peak of cold surge events occurs in autumn for the four regions and another peak is detected in spring over northeast China and southeast China. The regional pattern of cold surge frequencies is in accordance with the perturbation kinetic energy distribution in October December, January, and February April. The long-term decreasing trend ( 0.2 times/decade) of cold surge frequencies in northeast China and decadal variations in China are related to the variations of the temperature difference between southern and northern China in the winter monsoon season; these variations are due to the significant rising of winter temperatures in high latitudes.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program [grant number 2016YFA0600704]the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant number 41375104]
文摘A regional climate model(RegCM4)is used to project climate change over China in the twenty-first century under the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 pathways.The driving GCM is CSIRO Mk3.6.0(hereafter referred to simply as CSIRO),and the simulation(hereafter referred to as CdR)is run at a grid spacing of 25 km.The focus of the present paper is on the changes in mean surface air temperature and precipitation in December–January–February(DJF)and June–July–August(JJA)over China.Validation of the model performances is provided first,followed by a comparison of future changes projected by CSIRO and CdR.Substantial warming in the future is simulated by both models,being more pronounced in DJF compared to JJA,and under RCP8.5 compared to RCP4.5.The warming shows different spatial patterns and,to a less extent,magnitude between CSIRO and CdR.Precipitation change shows a general increase in DJF and a mixture of increase and decrease in JJA.Substantial differences between the two models are found in for precipitation change in JJA.The paper further emphasizes the uncertainties in climate change projection over the region.
基金National Program on Basic Research Project (973 Program) (2009CB421503)Natural Science Foundation of China (40975037)Natural Science Foundation of China (40775033)
文摘Using the U.S. National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research reanalysis data at 1°× 1° o resolution, analysis is performed on a persistent heavy rainfall event with two rain bands to the south of the Yangtze River during 17-22 June 2005. The northern rain band was related to the atmospheric mass adjustment of cold front precipitation and the associated ageostrophic feature to the rear right of subtropical westerly jets, while the southern counterpart formed under the joint influence of easterly/westerly jets and the South Asian high (SAH). The ageostrophic wind field to the rear right of the easterly jet center gives rise to an anti-circulation that favors the genesis of the southern belt. The feature ofdu/dt 〈0 around the SAH ridge line and to the rear right of the easterly jet streak results in a strong v - vg〈O field in the vicinity of the rain region as well as to its south. When westerly jets move southward, an intense v Vg〉0 feature appears to the north of the rain region, i.e., behind the center of the westerly jets. The associated mass adjustment leads to vigorous divergence over the rain region, which is responsible for the strong precipitation from the warm sector of the front. Also, a θe front at the middle level of the southern rain band and the cold front favor the release of instable energy to enhance the rainstorm. The southern and northern fronts approach each other and the two rain belts merge into one.
基金supported by the R&D Special Fund for Public Welfare Industry (Meteorology) (Grant No. GYHY201306019)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41375104)the China-UK-Swiss Adapting to Climate Change in China Project (ACCC)-Climate Science
文摘Four sets of climate change simulations at grid spacing of 50 km were conducted over East Asia with two regional climate models driven at the lateral bounda- ries by two global models for the period 1981-2050. The locus of the study was on the ensemble projection of cli- mate change in the mid-21st century (2031-50) over China. Validation of each simulation and the ensemble average showed good performances of the models overall, as well as advantages of the ensemble in reproducing present day (1981 2000) December-February (DJF), June-August (JJA), and annual (ANN) mean temperature and precipitation. Significant wanning was projected for the mid-21st century, with larger values of temperature increase found in the northern part of China and in the cold seasons. The ensemble average changes of precipitation in DJF, JJA, and ANN were determined, and the uncertainties of the projected changes analyzed based on the consistencies of the simulations. It was concluded that the largest uncertainties in precipitation projection are in eastern China during the summer season (monsoon pre-cipitation).
基金financial support in the form of fellowship provided by University Grant Commission (UGC), Government of India to Mr. Dharmaveer Singh as Research Fellow for carrying out the research
文摘Recently, study in past trends of climate variables gained significant consideration because of its contribution in adaptions and mitigation strategies for potential future changes in climate, primarily in the area of water resource management. Future interannual and inter-seasonal variations in maximum and minimum temperature may bring significant changes in hydrological systems and affect regional water resources. The present study has been performed to observe past(1970-2010) as well as future(2011-2100)spatial and temporal variability in temperature(maximum and minimum) over selected stations of Sutlej basin located in North-Western Himalayan region in India. The generation of future time series of temperature data at different stations is done using statistical downscaling technique. The nonparametric test methods, modified Mann-Kendall test and Cumulative Sum chart are used for detecting monotonic trend and sequential shift in time series of maximum and minimum temperature. Sen's slope estimator test is used to detect the magnitude of change over a period of time on annual and seasonal basis. The cooling experienced in annual TMax and TMin at Kasol in past(1970-2010) would be replaced by warming in future as increasing trends are detected in TMax during 2020 s and 2050 s and in TMin during 2020 s, 2050 s and 2080 s under A1 B and A2 scenarios. Similar results of warming are also predicted at Sunnifor annual TMin in future under both scenarios which witnessed cooling during 1970-2010. The rise in TMin at Rampur is predicted to be continued in future as increasing trends are obtained under both the scenarios. Seasonal trend analysis reveals large variability in trends of TMax and TMin over these stations for the future periods.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.61602477)China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(No.2016M601158)National Key Research and Development Program of China(No.2016YFB0200804)
文摘The future climate dynamical downscaling method is that output of general circulation models( GCMs) is employed to provide initial conditions,lateral boundary conditions,sea surface temperatures,and initial land surface conditions to regional climate models( RCMs). There are two methods of downscaling: offline coupling and online coupling. The two kinds of coupling methods are described in detail by coupling the Weather Research and Forecasting model( WRF) with the Institute of Atmospheric Physics of Chinese Academy of Sciences Atmospheric General Circulation Model Version 4. 0( IAP AGCM4. 0) in the study. And the extreme precipitation event over Beijing on July 212012 is simulated by using the two coupling methods. Results show that online coupling method is of great value in improving the model simulation. Furthermore,the data exchange frequency of online coupling has some effect on simulation result.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China[grant number 41775087]the National Natural Science Foundation of China[grant number 41675149]+2 种基金National Key R&D Program of China[grant number 2016YFA0600403]the Chinese Academy of Sciences Strategic Priority Program[grant number XDA05090206]the Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Climatic Change
文摘To detect the impacts of urban surface expansion on surface air temperature at 2-m(SAT) in Shanghai, China, nested numerical integrations based on satellite-derived urban data between the 1980 s and 2010 s were performed using the Weather Research and Forecasting(WRF) model. Urban surface expansion induced an annual-averaged warming of 0.31 °C from 1980 to 2016 across the whole of Shanghai, showing the greatest intensity between 2010 and 2016. The values were 0.36, 0.78, and 0.75 °C over grids that were classified as urban in both time periods(U2 U), landuse grids that changed from non-urban to urban(N2 U), and urban areas(including U2 U and N2 U), respectively, and revealed weak warming over the inner-ring areas because the urban surfaces had been there since the 1980 s, whereas warming areas were coincident with the outward expansion of the urban surface. Meanwhile, marked seasonal variations could be detected, which were greater in spring and summer but less in autumn and winter. The approximately homogenously distributed SAT maximum(weaker) and heterogeneously SAT minimum(stronger) contributed to the decreased diurnal temperature range. Regional warming induced by urban surface expansion was approximately 0.12 °C per decade, which accounted for 19% of the overall warming across the whole of Shanghai. The values were 0.11 °C per decade and 0.39 °C per decade over U2 U and N2 U, which accounted for approximately 17% and 42% of the overall warming, respectively, and resulted in approximately 41% of the overall warming over urban areas.
基金Under the auspices of Major State Basic Research Development Program of China(No.2010CB951003)the National Climate Central,China Meteorological Administration,for providing the meteorological data for this study
文摘Based on runoff, air temperature, and precipitation data from 1960 to 2010, the effects of climate change on water resources in the arid region of the northwestern China were investigated. The long-term trends of hydroclimatic variables were studied by using both Mann-Kendall test and distributed-free cumulative sum (CUSUM) chart test. Results indicate that the mean annual air temperature increases significantly from 1960 to 2010. The annual precipitation exhibits an increasing trend, especially in the south slope of the Tianshan Mountains and the North Uygur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang in the study period. Step changes occur in 1988 in the mean annual air temperature time series and in 1991 in the precipitation time series. The runoff in different basins shows different trends, i.e., significantly increasing in the Kaidu River, the Aksu River and the Shule River, and decreasing in the Shiyang River. Correlation analy- sis reveals that the runoff in the North Xinjiang (i.e., the Weigan River, the Heihe River, and the Shiyang River) has a strong positive relationship with rainfall, while that in the south slope of the Tianshan Mountains, the middle section of the north slope of the Tianshan Mountains and the Shule River has a strong positive relationship with air temperature. The trends of rtmoff have strong negative correla- tions with glacier coverage and the proportion of glacier water in runoff. From the late 1980s, the climate has become warm and wet in the arid region of the northwestern China. The change in runoff is interacted with air temperature, precipitation and glacier coverage. The results show that streamflow in the arid region of the northwestern China is sensitive to climate change, which can be used as a reference for regional water resource assessment and management.
文摘Seasonal ice cover is uncommon on Australian lakes. In the Snowy Mountains, there are five natural, seasonally ice-covered lakes including Lake Cootapatamba, the highest lake in Australia. Blue Lake is the only one of the five lakes with sufficient volume to be relatively independent of short-term changes in ambient temperature, and therefore is the lake most likely to be of use in tracking long-term regional climate change. Ice forms on Blue Lake near the winter solstice and ice-breakup occurs from late September to November. Timing of breakup is related to spring temperature and, as such, mirrors the timing of general snow thaw in the mountains. The existence of historic photographs taken of the lake at about the time of ice breakup allows for the possibility of reconstructing a history of alpine climate and in 1905 ice breakup was probably as late as mid-December.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No.40875053)
文摘Daily temperature data from 599 stations across China for the years 1961 to 2007 were used to analyze the changes in the natural regional boundaries. The results show that the accumulated temperature ≥10℃ and its duration changed dramatically from the end of 1990s to the early 21 st century. The amplitude of natural regional boundaries was greater in the 21st century than it was in the 20th century. In the eastern region of China, the climatic zones were migrating generally northward, with the northern edge of the subtropical zone and the eastern section of the warm temperate zone showing an obvious northward shift of up to 1-3° of latitude. The climatic zones moved south in the Qinghal-Tibet Plateau, western Inner Mongolia, and some areas of western Xinjiang, and slightly to the north in other parts of the western region.