Influences of two patterns of El Nino on hydrological and meteorological elements in the Hexi Corridor region of China

In this study, two types of El Ni?o events are distinguished and the correlations between the respective precipitation, temperature, and runoff are analyzed by a 5-point moving average method. Also, changes of the temperature, precipitation, and runoff from mountainous watersheds of the Hexi Corridor region caused by these two types of El Ni?o events from 1959 to 2005 are studied by the anomaly analysis method. The results indicate that the Hexi Corridor region is strongly influenced by El Ni?o: rising temperatures and decreasing precipitation and runoff are features of the first El Ni?o pattern, while decreasing temperature and increasing precipitation and runoff characterise the second pattern. The responses of temperature to El Ni?o events are stronger in plains than in mountain regions, but the responses of precipitation are obvious in both types of regions. The response of runoff to El Ni?o events is lower than the precipitation and temperature response because runoff from mountainous watersheds has a complex generation and concentration process.