Modelling the response of glaciers to climate warming

 Dynamic ice-flow models for 12 glaciers and ice caps have been forced with various climate change scenarios. The volume of this sample spans three orders of magnitude. Six climate scenarios were considered: from 1990 onwards linear warming rates of 0.01, 0.02 and 0.04 K a^-1, with and without concurrent changes in precipitation. The models, calibrated against the historic record of glacier length where possible, were integrated until 2100. The differences in individual glacier responses are very large. No straightforward relationship between glacier size and fractional change of ice volume emerges for any given climate scenario. The hypsometry of individual glaciers and ice caps plays an important role in their response, thus making it difficult to generalize results. For a warming rate of 0.04 K a^-1, without increase in precipitation, results indicate that few glaciers would survive until 2100. On the other hand, if the warming rate were to be limited to 0.01 K a^-1 with an increase in precipitation of 10% per degree warming, we predict that overall loss would be restricted to 10 to 20% of the 1990 volume. Received: 30 June 1997/Accepted: 21 October 1997     

Deep groundwater mediates streamflow response to climate warming in the Oregon Cascades

Recent studies predict that projected climate change will lead to significant reductions in summer streamflow in the mountainous regions of the Western US. Hydrologic modeling directed at quantifying these potential changes has focused on the magnitude and timing of spring snowmelt as the key control on the spatial–temporal pattern of summer streamflow. We illustrate how spatial differences in groundwater dynamics can also play a significant role in determining streamflow responses to warming. We examine two contrasting watersheds, one located in the Western Cascades and the other in the High Cascades mountains of Oregon. We use both empirical analysis of streamflow data and physically based, spatially distributed modeling to disentangle the relative importance of multiple and interacting controls. In particular, we explore the extent to which differences in snow accumulation and melt and drainage characteristics (deep ground water vs. shallow subsurface) mediate the effect of climate change. Results show that within the Cascade Range, local variations in bedrock geology and concomitant differences in volume and seasonal fluxes of subsurface water will likely result in significant spatial variability in responses to climate forcing. Specifically, watersheds dominated by High Cascade geology will show greater absolute reductions in summer streamflow with predicted temperature increases.     

"温室效应"与气候变暖

温室，对大多数人来说都很熟悉。冬季，温室和塑料大棚里春意盎然，瓜果蔬菜碧绿鲜嫩、花繁叶茂。为什么户外冰天雪地，而温室内却温暖如春呢？原来温室顶棚和四周玻璃（或塑料薄膜）能够透过太阳光的短波辐射，而室内地面反射的长波却很少能穿透玻璃（或塑料薄膜），这样热量就保留在室内，因此温室里的温度比室外要高许多。近几十年来，由于人类消耗的能源急剧增加，煤、石油等矿物燃料燃烧、森林等绿色植被遭到破坏，致使大气中的CO２浓度不断上升，CO２覆盖在地球表面就像温室的玻璃一样，并不影响太阳的辐射通过大气层，但却能吸收地…     

吉林省蒲公英物候特征及其对气候变暖的响应

利用数理统计方法,对在气候变暖背景下吉林省蒲公英物候期变化进行分析,探讨了蒲公英物候期变化与春季、秋季气温的关系。结果表明：自1980年以来,吉林省春、秋季增温显著,且秋季较春季明显;吉林省西部地区展叶期推迟,黄枯期提前,生长季缩短;中部地区基本无变化;东部地区展叶期提前,黄枯期推迟,生长季延长。温度和物候期的变化趋势均有明显的地域特征,展叶期变化趋势在地域分布上恰好与春季气温一致,在湿润的东部地区,黄枯变化趋势与秋季气温一致,在干旱的西部地区,枯黄期变化趋势与秋季气温变化相反。探讨了对东西部物候期变化截然相反趋势的原因,并通过线性回归分别建立了各站物候期的温度模型。     

Estimation of large intermountain depression river runoff response to global climate warming

The response of runoff of rivers of large intermountain depressions to global warming is estimated (case study of the Fergana Valley). It is established that warming has led to runoff changes in certain rivers, from 18% decrease to 38% increase in mid-mountain rivers and glacier- and snow-fed rivers.     

增温对华北冬小麦生产影响的试验研究

为了探索和验证未来地表气温升高对中国冬小麦生产的影响,了解冬小麦生长发育和产量对增温响应的基本特征,在田间条件下采用红外辐射器增温的方法(FATI)对冬小麦全生育期进行昼夜增温处理,分析了增温对冬小麦生长发育和产量构成及其耗水量的影响。结果表明,全生育期增温使冬小麦返青期显著提前,冬后生育阶段整体前移10d以上,全生育期天数减少,但营养生长时间大幅增加,开花至乳熟时间延长,乳熟至成熟时间缩短;在偏冷年份,增温处理保障了小麦的正常分蘖和生长,株高显著提高,有效穗数比对照增加27.4%,籽粒产量比对照大幅增加;在偏暖年份,增温导致小麦穗分化时间延长,穗粒数增加,灌浆中后期遭受高温危害,千粒重显著降低,产量下降;增温致使冬小麦生产耗水量增加。就华北冬小麦而言,冬季及早春一定幅度的升温有利于小麦生产,但增幅过大可能会导致不利结果;而春末夏初升温对小麦生产是不利的。     

青藏高原雨季特征及其对气候增暖的响应

利用青藏高原气象台站逐日观测资料,采用候雨量稳定通过临界阈值的方法对高原雨季起讫期进行客观定量划分,在此基础上,进一步分析增暖背景下雨季起讫期和雨季降水演变特征,并对比增暖前后高原雨季起讫期及不同等级降水的响应特征.结果表明:青藏高原雨季平均开始期为5月第3候、结束期为9月第6候、共持续28候;青藏高原雨季降水集中期为...     

South Asian monsoon response to weakening of Atlantic meridional overturning circulation in a warming climate

Climate Dynamics - Observational records and climate model projections reveal a considerable decline in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). Changes in the AMOC can have a...     

新疆天山北坡经济带持续低温指数变化特征

利用新疆天山北坡经济带12个国家气象站逐日最低气温和平均气温资料,研究该区域1965—2019年持续低温指数C_CDI的变化规律及其对气温变化的响应,结果表明：研究区的年、季平均气温均呈显著升高趋势,其中冬季升温幅度最大,夏季升温幅度最小;受气候变暖的影响,研究区C_CDI呈显著减少趋势,其中冬季减少幅度最大、夏季最小;研究区C_CDI和平均气温之间呈显著的反相关,年、季都经历了气温距平由负转正、同时对应C_CDI距平由正转负的过程;年、季C_CDI对平均气温的敏感系数均为负值,说明C_CDI值随着气温的升高而减少,敏感系数绝对值春、夏、秋三季均呈显著减小趋势,即C_CDI对气候变暖的响应在减弱,而冬季则呈显著增大趋势,即C_CDI对气候变暖的响应在增强。     

The use of the land-sea warming contrast under climate change to improve impact metrics

A favoured method of assimilating information from state-of-the-art climate models into integrated assessment models of climate impacts is to use the transient climate response (TCR) of the climate models as an input, sometimes accompanied by a pattern matching approach to provide spatial information. More recent approaches to the problem use TCR with another independent piece of climate model output: the land-sea surface warming ratio (φ). In this paper we show why the use of φ in addition to TCR has such utility. Multiple linear regressions of surface temperature change onto TCR and φ in 22 climate models from the CMIP3 multi-model database show that the inclusion of φ explains a much greater fraction of the inter-model variance than using TCR alone. The improvement is particularly pronounced in North America and Eurasia in the boreal summer season, and in the Amazon all year round. The use of φ as the second metric is beneficial for three reasons: firstly it is uncorrelated with TCR in state-of-the-art climate models and can therefore be considered as an independent metric; secondly, because of its projected time-invariance, the magnitude of φ is better constrained than TCR in the immediate future; thirdly, the use of two variables is much simpler than approaches such as pattern scaling from climate models. Finally we show how using the latest estimates of φ from climate models with a mean value of 1.6—as opposed to previously reported values of 1.4—can significantly increase the mean time-integrated discounted damage projections in a state-of-the-art integrated assessment model by about 15 %. When compared to damages calculated without the inclusion of the land-sea warming ratio, this figure rises to 65 %, equivalent to almost 200 trillion dollars over 200 years.     

A regional response in mean westerly circulation and rainfall to projected climate warming over Tasmania, Australia

Coupled ocean–atmosphere general circulation models (GCMs) lack sufficient resolution to model the regional detail of changes to mean circulation and rainfall with projected climate warming. In this paper, changes in mean circulation and rainfall in GCMs are compared to those in a variable resolution regional climate model, the Conformal Cubic Atmospheric Model (CCAM), under a high greenhouse gas emissions scenario. The study site is Tasmania, Australia, which is positioned within the mid-latitude westerlies of the southern hemisphere. CCAM projects a different response in mean sea level pressure and mid-latitude westerly circulation to climate warming to the GCMs used as input, and shows greater regional detail of the boundaries between regions of increasing and decreasing rainfall. Changes in mean circulation dominate the mean rainfall response in western Tasmania, whereas changes to rainfall in the East Coast are less related to mean circulation changes. CCAM projects an amplification of the dominant westerly circulation over Tasmania and this amplifies the seasonal cycle of wet winters and dry summers in the west. There is a larger change in the strength than in the incidence of westerly circulation and rainfall events. We propose the regional climate model displays a more sensitive atmospheric response to the different rates of warming of land and sea than the GCMs as input. The regional variation in these results highlight the need for dynamical downscaling of coupled general circulation models to finely resolve the influence of mean circulation and boundaries between regions of projected increases and decreases in rainfall.     

Lags in vegetation response to greenhouse warming

Fossil pollen in sediments documents vegetation responses to climatic changes in the past. Beech (Fagus grandifolia), with animal-dispersed seeds, moved across Lake Michigan or around its southern margin, becoming established in Wisconsin about 1000 years after populations were established in Michigan. Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), with wind-dispersed seeds, colonized a 50,000 km² area in northern Michigan between 6000 and 5000 years ago. These tree species extended ranges northward at average rates of 20–25 km per century. To track climatic changes in the future, caused by the greenhouse effect, however, their range limit would need to move northward 100 km per °C warming, or about 300 km per century, an order of magnitude faster than range extension in the past. Yet range extension in the future would be less efficient than in the past, because advance disjunct colonies have been extirpated by human disturbance, and because the seed source is reduced due to reductions in tree populations following logging. Many species of trees may not be able to disperse rapidly enough to track climate, and woodland herbs, which have less efficient seed dispersal mechanisms, may be in danger of extinction.     

Temporal change of climate zones in China in the context of climate warming

In China, ten climate types were classified using the K-means cluster analysis based on monthly temperature and precipitation data from 753 national meteorological stations for the period 1966–2005. However, 11 mountain climate stations, which are located in southeast China, were classified as one type due to their distinct climate characteristic that differentiated them from other stations. This type could not represent the climate characteristic of this region because all climate stations in this type were located at high-elevation mountains. Thus, it was eliminated when defining climate zones based on climate types. Therefore, nine climate zones were defined in China. Moreover, the temporal change of climate zones was detected in 20-year intervals (1966–1985 and 1986–2005). Although 48 stations changed their climate zones between these two periods, the whole pattern of all climate zones remained stable in these two periods. However, the boundaries between some climate zones changed slightly due to inconsistent variation of regional temperature and precipitation. The most obvious change was the eastern movement of the boundary between an arid temperate zone and a sub-humid temperate zone. There was also a northern shift of the boundary between a tropic zone and a southern subtropic zone. All these changes were probably connected with the climate change in recent 40 years.     

阿尔泰山南坡1821-2014年树轮汞浓度变化及其对气候的响应

研究汞的历史环境水平,对于认识人为汞的再排放和评估汞污染治理的有效性有重要意义。然而全球大气汞的监测站点和监测数据有限,因此需要利用代用资料来表征大气汞的长期变化。树木年轮是记录大气汞变化趋势的潜在优质档案。本研究建立了阿尔泰山南坡青河地区1821-2014年的树轮汞浓度变化序列,分析了气候对树轮汞浓度的影响,并从全球和区域角度探讨了汞浓度变化的原因。结果表明：1821—2014年青河地区平均树轮汞浓度为1.36±0.28 ng·g-1。相关分析显示树轮汞浓度变化与年平均最低气温（r=0.268, p<0.05, n=57）和平均水汽压（r=0.326, p<0.05, n=57）呈显著正相关,与平均2分钟风速呈显著负相关（r=-0.356, p<0.01, n=57）,表明气候可能会影响树木年轮中汞的积累。1820s—1980s树轮汞浓度呈缓慢上升趋势,在此期间出现1850s—1860s中后期和1980s中后期两个峰值。1990s—2000s初期树轮汞浓度相对平稳。自2000s中后期,树轮汞浓度逐渐下降,可能与各国相继实施空气污染控制法规有关。     

暖冬对五常农业生产的影响

近20年来,由于人类活动对自然界的影响,导致全球气候变暖。在空间上,变暖的区域以北半球高纬度地区较为明显。在时间上,以冬季变暖最为突出。据有关资料分析:自1986年以来,我国已连续17a冬季偏暖。2001年冬(2001年11月至2002年2月)是全国近40年的第二位暖冬,是黑龙江省近70年首位暖冬。五常市2001年冬季平均气温为-9.8℃,相当于吉林省四平一带的常年气温。在空间分布上温度带北移300～400km。暖冬对人类的影响是很重要的,尤其是对农业生产的影响,下面是暖冬对五常农业生产的影响进行分析供参考。1暖冬对农业生产的有利影响在农业生产上暖冬…     

Changes in aridity in response to the global warming hiatus

The global warming slowdown or warming hiatus, began around the year 2000 and has persisted for nearly 15 years. Most studies have focused on the interpretation of the hiatus in temperature. In this study, changes in a global aridity index (AI) were analyzed by using a newly developed dynamical adjustment method that can successfully identify and separate dynamically induced and radiatively forced aridity changes in the raw data. The AI and Palmer Drought Severity Index produced a wetting zone over the mid-to-high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere in recent decades. The dynamical adjustment analysis suggested that this wetting zone occurred in response to the global warming hiatus. The dynamically induced AI (DAI) played a major role in the AI changes during the hiatus period, and its relationships with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), and Atlantic Multi-decadal Oscillation (AMO) also indicated that different phases of the NAO, PDO, and AMO contributed to different performances of the DAI over the Northern Hemisphere. Although the aridity wetting over the mid-to-high latitudes may relieve long-term drying in certain regions, the hiatus is temporary, and so is the relief. Accelerated global warming will return when the NAO, PDO, and AMO revert to their opposite phases in the future, and the wetting zone is likely to disappear.