Abstract
In this study, the temporal and spatial patterns of rainfall in the Longchuan River basin from 1977 to 2017 were analyzed, to assess the feature of precipitation. Based on the daily precipitation time series, the Lorenz curve, precipitation concentration index (PCI), precipitation concentration degree (PCD), and the precipitation concentration period (PCP) were used to evaluate the precipitation distribution characteristics. The PCI, PCD and PCP in five categories, defined by the fixed thresholds, were proposed to investigate the concentrations, and the average values indicated the higher concentrations in the higher intensities. The indices showed strong irregularity of daily and monthly precipitation distributions in this basin. The decrease in the PCD revealed an increase in the proportion of precipitation in the dry season. The rainy days of slight precipitation in the upper and lower basins with significant downward trends (−13.13 d/10 a, −7.78 d/10 a) led to longer dry spells and an increase in the risk of drought, even severe in the lower area. In the upper basin, the increase in rainfall erosivity was supported by the upward trend in the PCIw of heavy precipitation and the simple daily intensity index (SDII) of extreme precipitation. Moreover, the PCP of light precipitation, moderate precipitation, and heavy precipitation concentrated earlier at the end of July. The results of this study can provide beneficial reference information to water resource planning, reservoir operation, and agricultural production in the basin.
Highlights
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutralAgricultural production, flood control, drought resistance, and human activities are directly affected by changes in precipitation
It was shown that light precipitation decreased and heavy precipitation days increased, which is responsible for atmospheric stability weakening, and the changes may be related to global warming [49]
The Longchuan River basin (LRB) is characterized by climate change affected by the monsoon and topography
Summary
Agricultural production, flood control, drought resistance, and human activities are directly affected by changes in precipitation. The annual precipitation has changed due to global climate change [1,2]. The intensity, duration, and frequency of precipitation have changed due to climate change, which has caused more extreme weather in some areas [4,5]. The distribution characteristics of precipitation were affected by several factors, such as topography [6], elevation [7], monsoon [8,9], and urbanization [10]. The precipitation distribution at different scales had a direct effect on crop growth [11], drought/flood occurrence [12,13], soil erosion [14,15], and water circulation processes [5]
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