Abstract
We analyzed the spatial and temporal distributions of temperature and precipitation in China’s Yellow River Region between 1960 and 2001 by compiling meteorological data using anomalies, climate trend rate, linear regression, trend analysis, spline functions, and other methods. The results show that the average temperatures in the Region have an upward trend at a rate of 0.19°C every 10 years. There are no significant changes in the Region’s summers, but the winters have become visibly warmer, with the temperatures significantly increasing from the 1980s. The average annual precipitation rate has shown a downwards trend at a rate of −11.7 mm every 10 years. Even though the precipitation rate shows variations, the amount of precipitation is inconsistent with the most significant decrease in precipitation rates being seen during summer followed by autumn, while the rates actually slightly increased during spring and winter. Over the 42 years, the Region as a whole showed a trend of climate warming and drying with 77% of the total sites studied showing these combined trends. Before the 1980s, mainly a drying and cooling trend was observed. In the mid-to-late 80s the temperatures rose, resulting in the change to a warming and drying trend.
Highlights
According to the IPCC’s fourth assessment report, temperatures across the globe have shown significant changes, with the most important being global warming [1]
The average global surface temperature has risen by 0.74∘C, with the magnitude of warming accelerating significantly since the 1990s [2,3,4,5]
The Yellow River Basin is located in the Northern Central area of China and mostly has a continental climate
Summary
According to the IPCC’s fourth assessment report, temperatures across the globe have shown significant changes, with the most important being global warming [1]. The river itself has witnessed interannual variations in runoff and continuous periods of low water flow and the natural conditions of the Yellow River Basin tend to vary [6, 7]. These basic characteristics determine the sensitivity and vulnerability of the Basin’s water resource system to climate change. A combination of natural and man-made elements causes frequent drying of the Lower Yellow River This drying happened in 21 of the years between 1972 and 1998 and practically every year since the 90s [9]. 33∘ 0 0 N integrity of the meteorological data, we selected 11 stations within the Region as well as 20 outside the Region
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