Impact of land use/land cover change on changes in surface solar radiation in eastern China since the reform and opening up

Cheng Qian

doi:10.1007/s00704-014-1334-5

Abstract

Observational evidence of the impacts of land use/land cover change (LULCC) on changes in surface solar radiation (SSR) in eastern China (EC) during 1979–2008 are identified by using diurnal temperature range as a proxy of SSR and by using observation minus reanalysis approach to disentangle these effects. For the period 1979–2008, the impact of LULCC is shown as a reduction in SSR in most stations in EC, whereas SSR in the reanalysis data has increased at nearly every location. The competition of the dimming effect of LULCC with the brightening effect in the reanalysis results in an observed dipole pattern of SSR with slightly decreasing (increasing) trends in most stations north (south) of the Yangtze River and statistically significant decreasing trends in central EC. In terms of EC area mean, this competition has resulted in a slightly dimming trend in the observed SSR during 1979–2008, although a transition from an apparent dimming to a general leveling off near 1990 is identified. For the period 1990–2008, LULCC has significantly reduced SSR in central EC and southern China. This dimming effect of LULCC competes with the apparent brightening effect in the reanalysis to result in the general leveling off in the observed SSR in terms of EC area mean and a sandwich spatial pattern in the observed SSR in EC where parts of central EC show significant dimming. The impact of LULCC on the changes in SSR may be through both biogeophysical and biogeochemical processes.

Highlights

Solar radiation that reaches the land surface, known as surface solar radiation (SSR), is a major component of the surface energy balance and governs a large number of diverse surface processes (Wild 2009a)
R-2 (Fig. 3d–f) shows more spatially coherent characteristics, with trends in the difference between daily maximum (Tmax), Tmin, and diurnal temperature range (DTR) increasing at most stations except for several in northeastern China showing slightly decreasing DTR trends (Fig. 3f)
We have examined the role of Land use/ land cover change (LULCC) on changes in SSR in eastern China for the periods 1979–2008 and 1990–2008 by using homogeneous temperature data and by applying observation minus reanalysis (OMR) approach from a surface solar energy perspective

Summary

Introduction

Solar radiation that reaches the land surface, known as surface solar radiation (SSR), is a major component of the surface energy balance and governs a large number of diverse surface processes (Wild 2009a). In China, a decadal transition in SSR from dimming to brightening or at least a leveling off after approximately 1990 has been reported (e.g., Liu et al 2004; Che et al 2005; Qian et al 2007, 2011a; Shi et al 2008; Tang et al 2011). Several studies have suggested that the increasing emissions of anthropogenic aerosols have resulted in less solar radiation reaching the ground (Che et al 2005; Qian et al 2006, 2007; Shi et al 2008; Wild 2009a). Researchers have suggested that changes in fuel utilization (Streets et al 2008) and, in anthropogenic aerosol composition and associated single-scattering albedo

Results

Discussion

Conclusion