Temporal variability of seasonal warming rates in China

Abstract

AbstractCalculation of the warming rate is the key to addressing the current debate about the existence of a recent hiatus in global warming. Previous studies have calculated the warming rate based on either a long period or selected periods. We calculated the warming rate in the seasonal temperatures obtained from 2,479 weather stations across China. We identified all the trend change years and divided the period 1958–2017 into different sub‐periods based on these years. Our results showed that the warming rate is higher than 0.5°C per decade in numerous stations. The amount of seasonal warming over the past 60 years was highest in winter, followed by spring, then autumn and was lowest in summer. Northern China has shown stronger warming than southern China over the past 60 years. Our results quantified the short‐period rates and identified natural change points which allows a sound comparison across regions. As rapid warming has a strong influence on natural systems and human health, extra care should be taken in regions with a high rate of warming.