Climatological characteristics of the tropics in China: climate classification schemes between German scientists and Huang Bingwei

Reviewing some important German scientists who have developed climatic regionalization schemes either on a global or Chinese scale, their various definitions of the tropical climate characteristics in China are discussed and compared with Huang Bingwei's climate classification scheme and the identification of the tropical climate therein. It can be seen that, due to different methodological approaches of the climatic regionalization schemes, the definitions of the tropics vary and hence also their spatial distribution in China. However, it is found that the tropical climate type occupies only a peripheral part of southern China, though it firmly represents a distinctive type of climate that is supsequently associated with a great economic importance for China. As such, the tropical climate type was mostly identified with its agro-climatological significance, that is by giving favourable growing conditions all-year round for perennial crops with a great heat demand. Tropical climate is, hence, conventionally regarded to be governed by all-year round summer conditions "where winter never comes".     

Climatological characteristics of the tropics in China： climate classification schemes between German scientists and Huang Bingwei

Reviewing some important German scientists who have developed climatic regionalization schemes either on a global or Chinese scale, their various definitions of the tropical climate characteristics in China are discussed and compared with Huang Bingwei‘s climate classification scheme and the identification of the tropical climate therein. It can be seen that, due to different methodological approaches of the climatic regionalization schemes, the definitions of the tropics vary and hence also their spatial distribution in China. However, it is found that the tropical climate type occupies only a peripheral part of southern China, though it firmly represents a distinctive type of climate that is subsequently associated with a great economic importance for China. As such, the tropical climate type was mostly identified with its agro-climatological significance, that is by giving favourable growing conditions all-year round for perennial crops with a great heat demand. Tropical climate is, hence, conventionally regarded to be governed by all-year round summer conditions “where winter never comes“.     

Determinants and identification of the northern boundary of China’s tropical zone

The influence of monsoon climatic characteristics makes the tropics of China different from those of other parts of the world. Therefore, the location of the northern boundary of China’s tropical zone has been one of the most controversial issues in the study of comprehensive physical regionalisation in China. This paper introduces developments in the study of the northern boundary of China’s tropical zone, in which different scholars delimit the boundary with great differences based on different regionalisation objectives, indexes, and methods. The main divergence of opinion is found in different understandings of zonal vegetation, agricultural vegetation type, cropping systems, tropical soil type and tropical characteristics. In this study, we applied the GeoDetector model, which measures the spatial stratified heterogeneity, to validate the northern boundaries of the tropical zone delimited by six principal scholars. The results show that the mean q-statistic value of the higher latitude boundary delimited by Ren Mei’e is the largest (q=0.37), suggesting that, of the rival views, it best reflects the regional differences between China’s tropical and subtropical zones, but it is not necessarily suitable for guiding the development of tropical agriculture. The mean values of the q-statistics of Zheng Du’s line and Yu Xianfang’s line around the Leizhou Peninsula at a lower latitude were smaller, at 0.10 and 0.08 respectively, indicating that the regional differences were smaller than those of Ren Mei’e’s boundary. Against the background of global climate change, the climate itself is changing in fluctuation. It is, thus, worth our further research whether the northern boundary of the tropical zone should not be a fixed line but rather should fluctuate within a certain scope to reflect these changes.     

中国草地农业气候分区及其饲草栽培适宜性

为了草地农业区域优化发展,依W Koppen世界气候分类途径,进行了中国气候分类及草地农业气候分区,依据相应途径,制作了中国饲草寒冷度分区图和中国饲草炎热度分区图,分析了各饲草气候区适宜的饲草作物种类及管理对策。中国气候及草地农业气候有17个类型,归并为6个饲草气候系统,中国饲草寒冷度分11个区,中国饲草炎热度分8个区。每个气候系统及寒冷度分区和炎热度分区内,分别有适宜的饲草作物,其评价标准为:生态适应、生长状态正常、发挥潜在遗传产量、有经济效益。干旱饲草气候系统发展低密度放牧饲养,湿润饲草气候系统发展规模化集约饲养,为中国草地畜牧业生产模式的基本理论选择。     

基于地理探测器的中国陆地热带北界探讨（英文）

The influence of monsoon climatic characteristics makes the tropics of China different from those of other parts of the world. Therefore, the location of the northern boundary of China's tropical zone has been one of the most controversial issues in the study of comprehensive physical regionalisation in China. This paper introduces developments in the study of the northern boundary of China's tropical zone, in which different scholars delimit the boundary with great differences based on different regionalisation objectives, indexes, and methods. The main divergence of opinion is found in different understandings of zonal vegetation, agricultural vegetation type, cropping systems, tropical soil type and tropical characteristics. In this study, we applied the Geo Detector model, which measures the spatial stratified heterogeneity, to validate the northern boundaries of the tropical zone delimited by six principal scholars. The results show that the mean q-statistic value of the higher latitude boundary delimited by Ren Mei'e is the largest(q=0.37), suggesting that, of the rival views, it best reflects the regional differences between China's tropical and subtropical zones, but it is not necessarily suitable for guiding the development of tropical agriculture. The mean values of the q-statistics of Zheng Du's line and Yu Xianfang's line around the Leizhou Peninsula at a lower latitude were smaller, at 0.10 and 0.08 respectively, indicating that the regional differences were smaller than those of Ren Mei'e's boundary. Against the background of global climate change, the climate itself is changing in fluctuation. It is, thus, worth our further research whether the northern boundary of the tropical zone should not be a fixed line but rather should fluctuate within a certain scope to reflect these changes.     

我国气候科学四十年来的蓬勃发展

我国于1912年在北京设立了中央观象台(包括天文与气象),但只限于气候观测,谈不到气候学的研究。我国气候学研究迄今可以说有两个转折点。一个转折点就是1928年在南京成立了中央研究院气象研究所,开始了气候学的研究。第二个转折点就是新中国成立后在南京大学气象系于1952年设立了气候专业。国际上的气候学发展在70年代确已从描述性进入定量性的阶段,发展了动力气候学与统计气候学数值模拟,并且向气候预报方向逐渐发展,尤其是统计预报发展更快。     

2000年来中国人口地理演变的Agent模拟分析

以基于自主体模拟为建模工具。建立了包含气候、农业、社会影响因素的中国2000年来人口地理演变模型。基于该模型对南北人口格局的转变、东西人口格局（即胡焕庸线）的形成以及2000年来全局人口分布演化的动力机制做了分析。研究结果表明：在不考虑气候变化、农业生产潜力波动以及社会因素影响的情景下,中国各省人口模拟值与实际值的相关系数达到0．9733,省区间初始农业生产潜力差异决定了人口的基本分布状态,是人口分布特征的内在因素．对人口地理演化具有深远的影响：中国人口分布南重北轻的人口分布格局发生在910年代左右．以安史之乱导致的战祸和动荡的社会条件为主要演化动力：胡焕庸线中国人口东西部分布格局形成于1235-1255年代左右,以1230-1260A．D．的气候突变为该人口分布特征线形成的主要动力：气候变化对2000来历史人口分布的全局演化过程中起了主导驱动作用,在单影响要素的情景中,气候变化对全局人口分布形成的贡献率最大,为0．9869,进一步,气候变化对人口地理演化的影响以1230-1260A．D．的气候突变为转折点表现为阶段性差异。     

Tropical Deforestation and Climate Change: What Does the Record Reveal?

Tropical deforestation is widely believed to directly influence the climate at a number of scales. Yet while much has been written about the tropical forest-climate relationship, there is little empirical evidence showing if and how local and regional climates are modified by deforestation. This study presents the results of an analysis of deforestation and climate change in a rain forest in southern Mexico. Records from 18 climate stations in the Selva Lacandona of Chiapas, Mexico were examined and related to an analysis of deforestation based on Landsat images. The area surrounding some stations has been deforested since the stations were established, while the area surroundings others has remained forested. Strong climatic trends were generally evident at the deforested stations, including decreases in the average daily maximum temperature and temperature range. No precipitation changes were observed. A comparison of the results with microclimatic experiments and modeling studies suggests that the climatic impacts of deforestation are overgeneralized at the local scale. Landscape heterogeneity appears to influence the biophysical mechanisms linking tropical forests and climate, and should be explicitly represented in modeling studies.     

国内外农户对气候变化/变异感知与适应研究

基于国内外农户气候变化感知和适应研究进展,在辨析气候变化和气候变异概念的基础上,阐释农户气候变化/变异感知结果及影响因素。研究发现农户气候变化感知与适应行为之间存在不确定关系,农户气候变化感知直接转化为适应策略需克服一系列障碍因素。针对农户气候变化适应策略,在系统梳理国内外农户适应策略的基础上,对这些策略是否属于气候变化和变异适应行为提出质疑,认为不能忽略其他复杂的社会经济和政治因素对这些措施的驱动作用。最后,对中国未来研究提出慎重大规模开展农户气候变化感知及适应研究、厘清气候变化/变异感知与适应策略之间关系和重视时空异质性以及农户异质性研究三点展望。     

能源消费与气候关系的中美比较研究

应用多项式模型把气候耗能量从能源消费总量中分离出来,用统计分析的方法探讨了中国和美国气候耗能量与气候因子之间的关系及其变化。研究表明:温度是美国近50年来影响气候耗能量的主要气候因子,中国从20世纪50年代到80年代初,旱涝灾害一直是影响中国气候耗能量的主要气候因子,它们之间存在有明显的线性相关关系,自20世纪80年代初以来,随着经济的发展和人民生活水平的提高,旱涝灾害对气候耗能量的影响明显减弱,温度对气候耗能量的影响逐渐增强,如果仅考虑气候耗能量,目前中国的能源消费变化正处于由气象灾害驱动型向温度驱动型的过渡时期。