Potential impact of future climate change on crop yield in northeastern China

We evaluated the potential impact of future climate change on spring maize and single-crop rice in northeastern China(NEC) by employing climate and crop models. Based on historical data, diurnal temperature change exhibited a distinct negative relationship with maize yield, whereas minimum temperature correlated positively to rice yield. Corresponding to the evaluated climate change derived from coupled climate models included in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5(CMIP5) under the Representative Concentration Pathway 4.5 scenario(RCP4.5), the projected maize yield changes for three future periods [2010–39(period 1), 2040–69(period 2), and 2070–99(period 3)] relative to the mean yield in the baseline period(1976–2005) were 2.92%, 3.11% and 2.63%, respectively. By contrast, the evaluated rice yields showed slightly larger increases of 7.19%, 12.39%, and 14.83%, respectively. The uncertainties in the crop response are discussed by considering the uncertainties obtained from both the climate and the crop models. The range of impact of the uncertainty became markedly wider when integrating these two sources of uncertainty. The probabilistic assessments of the evaluated change showed maize yield to be relatively stable from period 1 to period 3, while the rice yield showed an increasing trend over time. The results presented in this paper suggest a tendency of the yields of maize and rice in NEC to increase(but with great uncertainty) against the background of global warming, which may offer some valuable guidance to government policymakers.     

Impacts of climate variability and human activities on decrease in streamflow in the Qinhe River,China

Under the impacts of climate variability and human activities, there are statistically significant decreasing trends for streamflow in the Yellow River basin, China. Therefore, it is crucial to separate the impacts of climate variability and human activities on streamflow decrease for better water resources planning and management. In this study, the Qinhe River basin (QRB), a typical sub-basin in the middle reach of the Yellow River, was chosen as the study area to assess the impacts of climate variability and human activities on streamflow decrease. The trend and breakpoint of observed annual streamflow from 1956 to 2010 were identified by the nonparametric Mann–Kendall test. The results showed that the observed annual streamflow decreased significantly (P?<?0.05) and a breakpoint around 1973 was detected. Therefore, the time series was divided into two periods: “natural period” (before the breakpoint) and “impacted period” (after the breakpoint). The observed annual streamflow decreased by 68.1 mm from 102.3 to 34.2 mm in the two periods. The climate elasticity method and hydrological model were employed to separate the impacts of climate variability and human activities on streamflow decrease. The results indicated that climate variability was responsible for 54.1 % of the streamflow decrease estimated by the climate elasticity method and 59.3 % estimated by the hydrological modeling method. Therefore, the climate variability was the main driving factor for streamflow decrease in the QRB. Among these driving factors of natural and anthropogenic, decrease in precipitation and increase in water diversion were the two major contributions of streamflow reduction. The finding in this study can serve as a reference for regional water resources management and planning.     

哈萨克斯坦北部伊希姆河径流对气候变化和人类活动的响应

基于1933—2016年哈萨克斯坦北部伊希姆河彼得罗巴甫洛斯克水文站流量观测数据以及流域内格点气象数据,利用线性趋势法、Mann-Kendall检验、相关普查法和累积量斜率变化率比较法等方法,探讨了气候变化背景下伊希姆河流量变化及其主要驱动因子。结果显示：(1)伊希姆河流域近84年气温和降水呈上升趋势,且在20世纪70年代后增加趋势更加明显。(2)伊希姆河流量年内分布不均,年际流量变化总体呈下降趋势,但趋势不明显。(3)伊希姆河流量受流域内降水和气温共同影响,其中降水与流量相关性最大,且降水的变化对流量补给具有滞后性,6—9月气温对同时期流量影响较大。(4)T₁时段(1969—1996年)和T₂时段(1997—2016年)与T时段(1933—1968年)相比,气候变化对流量减少的贡献率分别为16.09%和44.83%,而人类活动对流量减少的贡献率为83.91%和55.17%。流域内水资源的开发及利用、人口数量和土地利用方式的变化等人类活动因素在很大程度上影响了伊希姆河流量。     

Effects of climate change on annual streamflow using climate elasticity in Poyang Lake Basin, China

Hydrological processes depend directly on climate conditions [e.g., precipitation, potential evapotranspiration (PE)] based on the water balance. This paper examines streamflow datasets at four hydrological stations and meteorological observations at 79 weather stations to reveal the streamflow changes and underlying drivers in four typical watersheds (Meigang, Saitang, Gaosha, and Xiashan) within Poyang Lake Basin from 1961 to 2000. Most of the less than 90th percentile of daily streamflow in each watershed increases significantly at different rates. As an important indicator of the seasonal changes in the streamflow, CT (the timing of the mass center of the streamflow) in each watershed shows a negligible change. The annual streamflow in each watershed increases at different rates, with a statistically significant trend (at the 5 % level) of 9.87 and 7.72 mm year^?1, respectively, in Meigang and Gaosha watersheds. Given the existence of interactions between precipitation and PE, the original climate elasticity of streamflow can not reflect the relationship of streamflow with precipitation and PE effectively. We modify this method and find the modified climate elasticity to be more accurate and reasonable using the correlation analysis. The analyses from the modified climate elasticity in the four watersheds show that a 10 % increase (decrease) in precipitation will increase (decrease) the annual streamflow by 14.1–16.3 %, while a 10 % increase (decrease) in PE will decrease (increase) the annual streamflow by ?10.2 to ?2.1 %. In addition, the modified climate elasticity is applied to estimate the contribution of annual precipitation and PE to the increasing annual streamflow in each watershed over the past 40 years. Our result suggests that the percentage attribution of the increasing precipitation is more than 59 % and the decreasing in PE is less than 41 %, indicating that the increasing precipitation is the major driving factor for the annual streamflow increase for each watershed.     

长江中上游平原地区冬季雾观测分析

长江中上游年平均雾日数达到20~106 d,是我国主要雾区之一。利用2010年12月在江汉平原观测获得的边界层廓线和雾滴谱资料,重点分析了该地区冬季雾过程的边界层结构及其生消过程。结果表明:荆州冬季雾多出现在寒潮过境1~2 d后,多为平流辐射雾;雾顶发展是水汽在上层逆温下积累,并伴随200~300 m高度冷平流降温引起;近地层冷平流降温导致饱和水汽压减小,同时上层系统性下沉增温引起逆温增强,水汽积累促使强浓雾过程产生;低空急流促使外界偏干气流与雾体混合后雾滴蒸发,是该地区雾顶迅速下降的主要原因;平均数浓度为150~406个·cm-3,极大值达到1 983个·cm-3,平均液水含量为0.014~0.118 g·m-3,极值达到0.786 g·m-3,与南京和重庆强浓雾观测值相似,超过其他地区观测值。城市地区高气溶胶浓度,配合充足的水汽条件,使得荆州雾过程微物理参量数值较大,易出现能见度小于50 m,持续时间4~9 h的强浓雾过程。     

Understanding the impacts of climate change and human activities on streamflow: a case study of the Soan River basin,Pakistan

Urmia Lake, as one of the most valuable saline ecosystems in the world, has faced a sharp drop in the water level in recent years. The trend studies of climatic parameters can be effective in identifying the responsible factors and managing this crisis. This research investigated the frequency trend of daily precipitation in the ranges of less than 5 mm, 5–10 mm, 10–15 mm, 15–20 mm, and more than 20 mm in the Urmia Lake basin. The trend was assessed using Mann-Kendall, Spearman Rho and linear regression tests on 60 stations during a period of 30 years (1981 to 2011). The results showed that in all the three tests, the frequency of daily precipitation of less than 5 mm had a significant increase at 1% level. The 5–10 mm range displayed no significant trend, while the 10–15 mm range showed a significantly decreasing trend. The frequency in the 15–20 mm and above 20 mm ranges showed an insignificant falling trend. The analysis also indicated jumps in 1996 and 1999 (almost coinciding with the sharp drop in the lake’s water level). In other words, the frequency trends of daily precipitation with small amounts (as a result, high evapotranspiration loss) were increasing and with large amounts were decreasing. This can be a contributor to reduced run-off and, hence, decreased water entering the lake. The results emphasize the need for changes in the management and consumption of water resources in the basin, in order to adapt to the climatic change.     

Heat injury risk assessment for single-cropping rice in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River under climate change

Under global warming, the risk of heat injury for crops increases, which leads to increasing instability in agricultural production. In this study, based on phenological observation data and yield data during 1981-2011 and daily meteorological data during 1961-2011 in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River (MLRYR), the risk of heat injury for single-cropping rice in this area and its response to climate change were assessed and analyzed. The risk was decomposed into such elements as hazard, exposure, vulnerability, and disaster prevention/mitigation capacity, in accordance with natural disaster risk assessment theory and the formation mechanisms of agrometeorological disasters.First, a hazard assessment model was established to identify spatiotemporal variations of the heat injury in the MLRYR during 1961-2011, and the relationship between heat injury hazard and air temperature was analyzed to identify the response of hazard to climate change. It was found that the heat injury hazard of single-cropping rice was positively correlated with the mean and maximum temperatures during the rice heading period of 20 days, with the hazard increasing sharply when the mean temperature exceeded 26.5°C and the maximum temperature exceeded 31°C. Then, exposure, vulnerability, and disaster prevention/mitigation capacity were also quantitatively examined. The results show that vulnerability and hazard were the two most important factors in the heat injury risk assessment for single-cropping rice at most stations in the MLRYR.The risk assessment considering only the first three natural elements produced high-risk values (> 0.46) mainly in the northeast of the study area. By adding the regional capability in disaster prevention/mitigation into account, the risk assessment produced high-risk values in a much smaller area in the northeast but some-what larger areas in the southwest of the study domain. In general, the risk of heat injury differed greatly within the MLRYR. Particular rice varieties should be adopted for specific regions, according to the local risk features quantified by this study. Under the warming climate, the risk of heat injury for single-cropping rice is likely to continue to increase.     

气候变化对宁波四明山人体舒适度的影响

利用宁波四明山区域气象观测站逐日和逐小时气象要素观测资料,分析该区域气候条件,并以舒适度指标等评估其气候生态。结果表明,1961—2017年四明山区域气温持续上升,降水增多,日降水峰值集中在16—18时且未出现明显变化,小风日数增多,气候适宜日数明显增加。气温是影响该区域人体舒适度的主因,其次是相对湿度和风;春秋舒适日数多,气候温润,日晴夜雨特征明显;夏季凉爽,是理想的避暑休闲胜地;年舒适时数高山与平原相近,但季节差异明显,夏季高山地区非常舒适,其他三季平原更舒适。区域气候模式结果显示,未来四明山区域气温继续维持升高趋势,降水有所增加,极端高温事件增多,极端低温事件减少,人体舒适日数呈减少趋势,春、秋季略增加,夏季减少明显。     

基于EEMD的黄河中上游夏季降水预报方法的研究

传统的统计方法难以很好的对气候系统这一集非线性、非平稳性为一身的多层次系统进行处理。因此集层次化处理和平稳化处理的集合正交经验模态分解技术(EEMD)的提出,为解决上述问题提供了有效的途径。本文选取黄河中上游24个气象观测站的逐月降水资料,结合组合预报和集合预报思路,基于EEMD建立了统计预报模型。其中对降水序列中的高频部分进行了二次平稳化处理,实现对2008—2013年6—8月的降水预报,并用预报评分检测预报效果。结果表明:EEMD模型对黄河中上游夏季降水有着较强的预报能力,在该区域与气候模式和传统的统计方法相比具有更高的精度和更好的应用前景。     

The impact of climate change on the Niger River Basin hydroclimatology, West Africa

Climate change has the potential to reduce water availability in West Africa. This study aims to quantify the expected impact of increased greenhouse gases (GHGs) on hydroclimatology of Niger River Basin (NRB). Boundary data from a general circulation model are used to force a regional climate model, to produce dynamically downscaled hydroclimatic variables of NRB under present-day (PRS) and future climate scenarios. The data were further analyzed to detect changes in atmospheric and surface water balance components and moisture recycling ratio (β). The results show that elevated GHGs (under A1B scenario) would produce a drier climate during the rainy season and a wetter climate during the dry season. A warmer climate over NRB in all months was projected. Highest temperature increase of 3 °C occurs about 14°N in May and June, and the smallest increase of 0.5 °C occurs below 8°N in wet-dry transition period. Evaporation reduces during wet season and increases during the dry periods. Humidity increases by 2 % in the dry season, but decreases by 2–4 % in the wet season. Maximum change in moisture influx of 20.7 % and outflux of 20.6 % occur in June and July, respectively. β is projected to decrease in 75 % of the months with biggest relative change of ?18.4 % in June. The projected decrease in precipitation efficiency (ρ) during the wet season reaches ?20.3 % in June. For PRS run, about 66 % of the available atmospheric moisture in NRB precipitates between June and September, of which around 21 % originates from local evaporation. The result suggests that under enhanced GHGs, local evaporation will contribute less to atmospheric moisture and precipitation over the basin. Projected changes in rainfall and streamflow for Upper Niger and Benue sub-basin are significantly different during the wet season.     

Impact of climate variability and anthropogenic activity on streamflow in the Three Rivers Headwater Region,Tibetan Plateau,China

Under the impacts of climate variability and human activities, there is violent fluctuation for streamflow in the large basins in China. Therefore, it is crucial to separate the impacts of climate variability and human activities on streamflow fluctuation for better water resources planning and management. In this study, the Three Rivers Headwater Region (TRHR) was chosen as the study area. Long-term hydrological data for the TRHR were collected in order to investigate the changes in annual runoff during the period of 1956–2012. The nonparametric Mann–Kendall test, moving t test, Pettitt test, Mann–Kendall–Sneyers test, and the cumulative anomaly curve were used to identify trends and change points in the hydro-meteorological variables. Change point in runoff was identified in the three basins, which respectively occurred around the years 1989 and 1993, dividing the long-term runoff series into a natural period and a human-induced period. Then, the hydrologic sensitivity analysis method was employed to evaluate the effects of climate variability and human activities on mean annual runoff for the human-induced period based on precipitation and potential evapotranspiration. In the human-induced period, climate variability was the main factor that increased (reduced) runoff in LRB and YARB (YRB) with contribution of more than 90 %, while the increasing (decreasing) percentage due to human activities only accounted for less than 10 %, showing that runoff in the TRHR is more sensitive to climate variability than human activities. The intra-annual distribution of runoff shifted gradually from a double peak pattern to a single peak pattern, which was mainly influenced by atmospheric circulation in the summer and autumn. The inter-annual variation in runoff was jointly controlled by the East Asian monsoon, the westerly, and Tibetan Plateau monsoons.

     

21世纪中国东北地区气候变化预估

利用各国政府间气候变化专门委员会(IPCC)第4次科学评估报告中全球气候系统模式组考虑人类排放情景的计算结果,计算与分析了多个气候模式对21世纪中国东北地区气候变化的集成预估结果。多模式集成预估结果表明:到21世纪后期,由于人类排放增加的影响,中国东北地区气温将可能较目前变暖3.0℃或以上,降水将可能增加。需要注意这种气候变化对中国东北地区社会经济的长远影响。     

气侯变化背景下黑河上游春季融雪洪水预估研究

气候变暖将导致高山区冰冻圈加剧融化,一方面融水资源时空分布的不确定性增大;另一方面,融水洪水灾害发生的频度和强度也将发生改变。基于气象、水文数据和MODIS积雪覆盖数据,利用融雪径流模型(SRM),对1990—2012年共23年祁连山黑河札马什克控制区融雪期径流进行模拟与验证。结果表明：SRM在该流域具有较高的模拟精度（纳什系数为0.91),可用于分析和预估控制区径流强度变化。为此,采用黑河流域气温、降水降尺度数据,预估了未来气候变化背景下积雪范围变化及不同重现期洪水变化趋势。结果显示,与基准期相比,在RCP2.6、RCP4.5和RCP8.5情景下,最大积雪范围可减小3%~7%,且随着海拔升高,变化愈剧烈。RCP2.6情景下因气温和降水变化幅度较小,到21世纪末各重现期洪水强度保持在10%以内波动;RCP4.5情景下,各重现期洪水强度最高增大约20%;在RCP8.5情景下,各重现期洪水强度最高可增大超30%。相关分析结果显示,不同重现期洪水径流与气温和降水均具有较强相关性：重现期越长,洪峰与气温的相关性越大;重现期越短,洪峰与降水的相关性越大。通过预估气候变化背景下的融雪性洪水事件强度及重现期变化,有助于有效开展区域洪水风险管理、提高洪水资源的利用价值。     

Sensitivity analysis of climate on streamflow in north China

The economics and crowded cities of north China play important roles in China’s overall economic development. Streamflow is a hot issue in ecohydrological studies, and research into changes in streamflow in north China is of great significance. In this study, the sensitivities of streamflow to the aridity index, precipitation, and potential evapotranspiration are evaluated to assess the impact of climatic variation in streamflow in north China. The results show that the average coefficient of sensitivity of streamflow to aridity index is ?2.24, and streamflow would decrease by 22.4 % with a 10 % increase in the aridity index. The average coefficients of sensitivity of streamflow to precipitation and potential evapotranspiration are 3.21 and ?2.21, respectively. A 10 % increase in precipitation or potential evapotranspiration would induce a 32.1 % increase or a 22.1 % decrease of streamflow, respectively. Basins with low streamflows would be more sensitive to climatic variation than basins with high streamflows.     

Climate change in the northeastern US: regional climate model validation and climate change projections

A high resolution regional climate model (RCM) is used to simulate climate of the recent past and to project future climate change across the northeastern US. Different types of uncertainties in climate simulations are examined by driving the RCM with different boundary data, applying different emissions scenarios, and running an ensemble of simulations with different initial conditions. Empirical orthogonal functions analysis and K-means clustering analysis are applied to divide the northeastern US region into four climatologically different zones based on the surface air temperature (SAT) and precipitation variability. The RCM simulations tend to overestimate SAT, especially over the northern part of the domain in winter and over the western part in summer. Statistically significant increases in seasonal SAT under both higher and lower emissions scenarios over the whole RCM domain suggest the robustness of future warming. Most parts of the northeastern US region will experience increasing winter precipitation and decreasing summer precipitation, though the changes are not statistically significant. The greater magnitude of the projected temperature increase by the end of the twenty-first century under the higher emissions scenario emphasizes the essential role of emissions choices in determining the potential future climate change.     

Modeling the impact of urbanization on the local and regional climate in Yangtze River Delta, China

The Yangtze River Delta Economic Belt is one of the most active and developed areas in China and has experienced quick urbanization with fast economic development. The weather research and forecasting model (WRF), with a single-layer urban canopy parameterization scheme, is used to simulate the influence of urbanization on climate at local and regional scales in this area. The months January and July, over a 5-year period (2003–2007), were selected to represent the winter and summer climate. Two simulation scenarios were designed to investigate the impacts of urbanization: (1) no urban areas and (2) urban land cover determined by MODIS satellite observations in 2005. Simulated near-surface temperature, wind speed and specific humidity agree well with the corresponding measurements. By comparing the simulations of the two scenarios, differences in near-surface temperature, wind speed and precipitation were quantified. The conversion of rural land (mostly irrigation cropland) to urban land cover results in significant changes to near-surface temperature, humidity, wind speed and precipitation. The mean near-surface temperature in urbanized areas increases on average by 0.45?±?0.43°C in winter and 1.9?±?0.55°C in summer; the diurnal temperature range in urbanized areas decreases on average by 0.13?±?0.73°C in winter and 0.55?±?0.84°C in summer. Precipitation increases about 15% over urban or leeward areas in summer and changes slightly in winter. The urbanization impact in summer is stronger and covers a larger area than that in winter due to the regional east-Asian monsoon climate characterized by warm, wet summers and cool, dry winters.     

长江中下游地区城市化进程中地表植被变化气候效应的数值模拟

利用高分辨率区域气候模式RegCM3,对长江中下游地区城市化进程中土地利用的变化引起的地气能量交换和水份收支改变的气候效应进行模拟研究.结果表明:下垫面由农田变为城市后近地层大气水汽含量减小,气温升高.但增温幅度存在明显的时空差异,总体而言西部高于东部、夏季高于冬季.对能量平衡的各因子的分析表明,因地表水份蒸发引起的潜热释放减少是地表温度增加最主要的原因.流场差异场的特点是以试验区域为中心,低层呈气旋性而高层呈反气旋性环流,这种结构特征有利于试验区域以外中低层大气以补偿性平流的形式流入试验区,补充地表水份损失,导致退化试验和控制试验相比低层云水量减少而中高层云水量增加.受环流场和水汽场异常的共同影响,夏季试验区域西部平均降水减少而东部增加.绿化试验和过渡试验结果则表明,当城市绿化面积超过50%时,能够有效地减小城市化进程对局地气候的影响.     

长江中上游冬季山地雾边界层特征及生消过程分析

利用2010年12月在湖北宣恩观测山地雾获得的边界层廓线、雾滴谱、能见度资料,分析了该地雾过程的边界层特征及其生消过程。结果表明:1)宣恩山地雾主要由夜间辐射冷却引起,且能见度多在200 m以上;垂直发展深厚,成熟时厚度达到400~600 m。2)夜间风场主要由山风环流控制,风向多为东南风;入夜及雾生前期,地面风速不超过0.5 m/s,雾消前增大至2.0 m/s左右。3)雾生前观测到"C"字型温度层结,中下层气温降温率在0.3~1.0℃/(100 m)之间;结合该时段近地层露点温度逆温,离地200 m左右率先饱和成云;雾消时低空相对湿度依然保持较大值,重新变为空中雾层。4)雾前1~2 h地面及植被表明温度显著上升,个别升温率达1℃/h,对应时段地面相对湿度达到饱和,与其他地区有明显区别,对预报宣恩山地雾有积极意义。     

Potential impact of climate change on the water availability of South Saskatchewan River Basin

The potential hydrologic impact of climatic change on three sub-basins of the South Saskatchewan River Basin (SSRB) within Alberta, namely, Oldman, Bow and Red Deer River basins was investigated using the Modified Interactions Soil-Biosphere-Atmosphere (MISBA) land surface scheme of Kerkhoven and Gan (Advances in Water Resources 29:808–826 2006). The European Centre for Mid-range Weather Forecasts global re-analysis (ERA-40) climate data, Digital Elevation Model of the National Water Research Institute, land cover data and a priori soil parameters from the Ecoclimap global data set were used to drive MISBA to simulate the runoff of SSRB. Four SRES scenarios (A21, A1FI, B21 and B11) of four General Circulation Models (CCSRNIES, CGCM2, ECHAM4 and HadCM3) of IPCC were used to adjust climate data of the 1961–1990 base period (climate normal) to study the effect of climate change on SSRB over three 30-year time periods (2010–2039, 2040–2069, 2070–2099). The model results of MISBA forced under various climate change projections of the four GCMs with respect to the 1961–1990 normal show that SSRB is expected to experience a decrease in future streamflow and snow water equivalent, and an earlier onset of spring runoff despite of projected increasing trends in precipitation over the 21st century. Apparently the projected increase in evaporation loss due to a warmer climate over the 21st century will offset the projected precipitation increase, leading to an overall decreasing trend in the basin runoff of SSRB. Finally, a Gamma probability distribution function was fitted to the mean annual maximum flow and mean annual mean flow data simulated for the Oldman, Bow and Red Deer River Basins by MISBA to statistically quantify the possible range of uncertainties associated with SRES climate scenarios projected by the four GCMs selected for this study.     

The impact of climate change on tribal communities in the US: displacement, relocation, and human rights

Tribal communities in the United States, particularly in coastal areas, are being forced to relocate due to accelerated rates of sea level rise, land erosion, and/or permafrost thaw brought on by climate change. Forced relocation and inadequate governance mechanisms and budgets to address climate change and support adaptation strategies may cause loss of community and culture, health impacts, and economic decline, further exacerbating tribal impoverishment and injustice. Sovereign tribal communities around the US, however, are using creative strategies to counter these losses. Taking a human rights approach, this article looks at communities’ advocacy efforts and strategies in dealing with climate change, displacement, and relocation. Case studies of Coastal Alaska and Louisiana are included to consider how communities are shaping their own relocation efforts in line with their cultural practices and values. The article concludes with recommendations on steps for moving forward toward community-led and government-supported resettlement programs.