Evaluation of CMIP5 Climate Models in Simulating 1979–2005 Oceanic Latent Heat Flux over the Pacific

The climatological mean state,seasonal variation and long-term upward trend of 1979–2005 latent heat flux(LHF) in historical runs of 14 coupled general circulation models from CMIP5(Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5) are evaluated against OAFlux(Objectively Analyzed air–sea Fluxes) data. Inter-model diversity of these models in simulating the annual mean climatological LHF is discussed. Results show that the models can capture the climatological LHF fairly well,but the amplitudes are generally overestimated. Model-simulated seasonal variations of LHF match well with observations with overestimated amplitudes. The possible origins of these biases are wind speed biases in the CMIP5 models. Inter-model diversity analysis shows that the overall stronger or weaker LHF over the tropical and subtropical Pacific region,and the meridional variability of LHF,are the two most notable diversities of the CMIP5 models. Regression analysis indicates that the inter-model diversity may come from the diversity of simulated SST and near-surface atmospheric specific humidity.Comparing the observed long-term upward trend,the trends of LHF and wind speed are largely underestimated,while trends of SST and air specific humidity are grossly overestimated,which may be the origins of the model biases in reproducing the trend of LHF.     

Projected Shifts in Kppen Climate Zones over China and Their Temporal Evolution in CMIP5 Multi-Model Simulations

Previous studies have examined the projected climate types in China by 2100. This study identified the emergence time of climate shifts at a 1?scale over China from 1990 to 2100 and investigated the temporal evolution of K o¨ppen–Geiger climate classifications computed from CMIP5 multi-model outputs. Climate shifts were detected in transition regions(7%–8% of China's land area) by 2010, including rapid replacement of mixed forest(Dwb) by deciduous forest(Dwa) over Northeast China, strong shrinkage of alpine climate type(ET) on the Tibetan Plateau, weak northward expansion of subtropical winterdry climate(Cwa) over Southeast China, and contraction of oceanic climate(Cwb) in Southwest China. Under all future RCP(Representative Concentration Pathway) scenarios, the reduction of Dwb in Northeast China and ET on the Tibetan Plateau was projected to accelerate substantially during 2010–30, and half of the total area occupied by ET in 1990 was projected to be redistributed by 2040. Under the most severe scenario(RCP8.5), sub-polar continental winter dry climate over Northeast China would disappear by 2040–50, ET on the Tibetan Plateau would disappear by 2070, and the climate types in 35.9%and 50.8% of China's land area would change by 2050 and 2100, respectively. The results presented in this paper indicate imperative impacts of anthropogenic climate change on China's ecoregions in future decades.     

Projected Changes in Kppen Climate Types in the 21st Century over China

Future changes in the climate regimes over China as measured by the Kppen climate classification are reported in this paper. The analysis is based on a high-resolution climate change simulation conducted by a regional climate model (the Abdus Salam International Center for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) RegCM3) driven by the global model of Center for Climate System Research (CCSR)/National Institute for Environment Studies (NIES)/Frontier Research Center for Global Change (FRCGC) MIROC3.2_hires (the Model for Interdisciplinary Research on Climate) under the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES) A1B scenario. Validation of the model performances is presented first. The results show that RegCM3 reproduces the present-day distribution of the Kppen climate types well. Significant changes of the types are found in the future over China, following the simulated warming and precipitation changes. In southern China, the change is characterized by the replacement of subtropical humid (Cr) by subtropical winter-dry (Cw). A pronounced decrease of the cold climate types is found over China, e.g., tundra (Ft) over the Tibetan Plateau and sub-arctic continental (Ec) over northeast China. The changes are usually greater in the end compared with the middle of the 21st century.     

Climate Change over China with a 2°C Global Warming

相对于工业化革命前期,全球年平均地表气温上升2℃的时间和相应的气候变化受到了广泛关注,特别是包括欧盟成员国在内的许多国家和国际组织已经将避免2℃全球变暖作为温室气体减排的首要目标.为此,本文作者基于16个气候模式在20世纪气候模拟试验和SRES B1、A1B和A2温室气体和气溶胶排放情景下的数值模拟试验结果,采用多模式集合方法预估研究了2℃全球变暖发生的时间、对应的大气中主要温室气体浓度以及中国气候变化情况.根据模式集合平均结果,三种排放情景下2℃全球变暖分别发生在2064年、2046年和2049年,大气二氧化碳当量浓度分别为625 ppm、645 ppm和669 ppm(1 ppm=10-6).对应着2℃全球变暖,中国气候变暖幅度明显更大.从空间分布形势上看,变暖从南向北加强,在青藏高原地区存在一个升温大值区;就整体而言,中国区域平均的年平均地表气温上升2.7～2.9℃,冬季升温幅度(3.1～3.2℃)要较其他季节更大.年平均降水量在华南大部分地区减少0～5％,而在其余地区增加0～20％,中国区域年平均降水增加3.4％～4.4％,各季节增加量在0.5％～6.6％之间.     

How Well does BCC_CSM1.1 Reproduce the 20th Century Climate Change over China?

The historical simulation of phase five of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project(CMIP5) experiments performed by the Beijing Climate Center climate system model(BCC_CSM1.1) is evaluated regarding the time evolutions of the global and China mean surface air temperature(SAT) and surface climate change over China in recent decades.BCC_CSM1.1 has better capability at reproducing the time evolutions of the global and China mean SAT than BCC_CSM1.0.By the year 2005,the BCC_CSM1.1 model simulates a warming amplitude of approximately 1℃ in China over the 1961-1990 mean,which is consistent with observation.The distributions of the warming trend over China in the four seasons during 1958-2004 are basically reproduced by BCC_CSM1.1,with the warmest occurring in winter.Although the cooling signal of Southwest China in spring is partly reproduced by BCC_CSM1.1,the cooling trend over central eastern China in summer is omitted by the model.For the precipitation change,BCC_CSM1.1 has good performance in spring,with drought in Southeast China.After removing the linear trend,the interannual correlation map between the model and the observation shows that the model has better capability at reproducing the summer SAT over China and spring precipitation over Southeast China.     

Projections of Climate Change over China for the 21st Century

1. IntroductionUnder the background of global warming in the20th century, it was also getting warmer of 0.2-0.7°C/100 yr over China for the last 100 years, espe-cially for the last 50 years (0.6-0.9°C/50 yr) based onthe instrumental observations (Wang and Gong, 2000;Ren et al., 2004; Zhao et al., 2004). In another way, itwas noticed that the concentration of greenhouse gasesand sulfate aerosols in the atmosphere increased by thehuman emissions. Some new evidences indicated thatthe greenho…     

Future Changes in Extreme High Temperature over China at 1.5℃-5℃ Global Warming Based on CMIP6 Simulations

Extreme high temperature(EHT)events are among the most impact-related consequences related to climate change,especially for China,a nation with a large population that is vulnerable to the climate warming.Based on the latest Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6(CMIP6),this study assesses future EHT changes across China at five specific global warming thresholds(1.5℃-5℃).The results indicate that global mean temperature will increase by 1.5℃/2℃ before 2030/2050 relative to pre-industrial levels(1861-1900)under three future scenarios(SSP1-2.6,SSP2-4.5,and SSP5-8.5),and warming will occur faster under SSP5-8.5 compared to SSP1-2.6 and SSP2-4.5.Under SSP5-8.5,global warming will eventually exceed 5℃ by 2100,while under SSP1-2.6,it will stabilize around 2℃ after 2050.In China,most of the areas where warming exceeds global average levels will be located in Tibet and northern China(Northwest China,North China and Northeast China),covering 50%-70%of the country.Furthermore,about 0.19-0.44 billion people(accounting for 16%-41%of the national population)will experience warming above the global average.Compared to present-day(1995-2014),the warmest day(TXx)will increase most notably in northern China,while the number of warm days(TX90p)and warm spell duration indicator(WSDI)will increase most profoundly in southern China.For example,relative to the present-day,TXx will increase by 1℃-5℃ in northern China,and TX90p(WSDI)will increase by 25-150(10-80)days in southern China at 1.5℃-5℃ global warming.Compared to 2℃-5℃,limiting global warming to 1.5℃ will help avoid about 36%-87%of the EHT increases in China.     

Variations in Typhoon Landfalls over China

The interannual variability in typhoon landfalls over China is investigated using historical and modern records. For the purpose of substantiating and elaborating upon the claim of north to south variation in tropical cyclone activity over China, a north-to-south anti-correlation in yearly activity is confirmed in the historical cyclone records. When cyclone activity over the province of Guangdong is high （low）, it tends to be low （high） over the province of Fujian. A similar spatial variation is identified in the modern records using a factor analysis model, which delineates typhoon activity over the southern provinces of Guangdong and Hainan from the activity over the northern provinces of Fujian, Taiwan, Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Shandong. A landfall index of typhoon activity representing the degree to which each year follows this pattern of activity is used to identify correlated climate variables. A useful statistical regression model that includes sea-level pressure differences between Mongolia and western China and sea-surface temperature （SST） over the northwestern Pacific Ocean during the summer explains 26% of the interannual variability of the landfall index. It is suggested that a stronger than normal north-south pressure gradient increases the surface easterly wind flow over northern China： this, coupled with lower SST over the Pacific, favors typhoons taking a more westerly track toward southern China.     

CCN Concentration in Troposphere over China

CCN concentration in the middle-lower troposphere over northern China was observed using a cloud condensation nucleus counter, MEE-130, installed on an IL-14 aircraft in the summer of 1983 and 1984. More than 60 sets of data (each flight as one set) were collected.The main results are: (1) in northern China, CCN concentration is 102-104/ cm3 near ground, decreases with increasing height and follows exponential distribution; (2) the local CCN concentration and its distribution with altitude are influenced by some meteorological factors: such as inversion, cloud and precipitation, wind and land-sea brce/.e etc. The inversion makes CCN significantly accumulate just below the inversion level; CCN concentration is lower inside clouds than outside clouds at same level; wind plays an important role of transporting CCN horizontally; (3) the CCN concentration is higher above the land than above the sea at same level; CCN concentration is one order of magnitude lower over the coastal cities like Qingdao than over     

Workshop on Indices and Indicators for Climate Extremes, Asheville, NC, USA, 3–6 June 1997 Breakout Group C: Temperature Indices for Climate Extremes

The "temperature" breakout group at the 1997 Asheville Workshop on Indicators and Indices for Climate Extremes reviewed and developed the rationale for a choice of temperature indices for monitoring changes in climate extremes, and the supporting data required. A set of basic and supplementary key indices was drawn up. The key indices are meant to be easy to interpret, be relevant to the practical concerns of policy makers and others in the public sector and provide potential inputs into the Third Assessment Review of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that is expected to report in 2001. The indices are expressed in various ways to facilitate spatial and temporal trend detection and impact analysis. There is flexibility in the number and the form of the indices identified and the choice for any particular application is subject to further analysis and prioritization. The success of this endeavor will depend on original work being done to further develop the indices and on the cooperation of organizations globally to provide the data necessary for the development and the implementation of the indices. This paper summarizes the group's recommendations.     

Changes in Seasonal Cycle and Extremes in China during the Period 1960–2008

Recent trends in seasonal cycles in China are analyzed, based on a homogenized dataset of daily temperatures at 541 stations during the period 1960–2008. Several indices are defined for describing the key features of a seasonal cycle, including local winter/summer (LW/LS) periods and local spring/autumn phase (LSP/LAP). The Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition method is applied to determine the indices for each year. The LW period was found to have shortened by 2–6 d (10 yr)-1, mainly due to an earlier end to winter conditions, with the LW mean temperature having increased by 0.2°C–0.4°C (10 yr)?1, over almost all of China. Records of the most severe climate extremes changed less than more typical winter conditions did. The LS period was found to have lengthened by 2–4 d (10 yr)?1, due to progressively earlier onsets and delayed end dates of the locally defined hot period. The LS mean temperature increased by 0.1°C–0.2°C (10 yr)-1 in most of China, except for a region in southern China centered on the mid-lower reaches of the Yangtze River. In contrast to the winter cases, the warming trend in summer was more prominent in the most extreme records than in those of more typical summer conditions. The LSP was found to have advanced significantly by about 2 d (10 yr)-1 in most of China. Changes in the autumn phase were less prominent. Relatively rapid changes happened in the 1980s for most of the regional mean indices dealing with winter and in the 1990s for those dealing with summer.     

Trends of Temperature Extremes in Summer and Winter during 1971–2013 in China

The diurnal temperature range(DTR) has decreased dramatically in recent decades, but it is not yet obvious whether the extreme values of DTR have also reduced. Based on the daily maximum and minimum temperature data of 653 stations in China, a set of monthly indices of warm extremes, cold extremes, and DTR extremes in summer(June, July, August) and winter(December, January, February) were studied for spatial and temporal features during the period 1971–2013. Results show that the incidence of warm extremes has been increasing in most parts of China, while the opposite trend was found in the cold extremes for summer and winter months. Both increasing and decreasing trends of monthly DTR extremes were identified in China for both seasons. For high DTR extremes, decreasing trends were identified in northern China for both seasons, but increasing trends were found only in southern China in summer, while in winter, they were found in central China. Monthly low DTR extreme indices demonstrated consistent positive trends in summer and winter, while significant increases(P 0.05) were identified for only a few stations.     

How Well Do CMIP6 and CMIP5 Models Simulate the Climatological Seasonal Variations in Ocean Salinity?

This paper includes a comprehensive assessment of 40 models from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5) and 33 models from the CMIP phase 6 (CMIP6) to determine the climatological and seasonal variation of ocean salinity from the surface to 2000 m. The general pattern of the ocean salinity climatology can be simulated by both the CMIP5 and CMIP6 models from the surface to 2000-m depth. However, this study shows an increased fresh bias in the surface and subsurface salinity in the CMIP6 multimodel mean, with a global average of ?0.44 g kg^?1 for the sea surface salinity (SSS) and ?0.26 g kg^?1 for the 0–1000-m averaged salinity (S1000) compared with the CMIP5 multimodel mean (?0.25 g kg^?1 for the SSS and ?0.07 g kg^?1 for the S1000). In terms of the seasonal variation, both CMIP6 and CMIP5 models show positive (negative) anomalies in the first (second) half of the year in the global average SSS and S1000. The model-simulated variation in SSS is consistent with the observations, but not for S1000, suggesting a substantial uncertainty in simulating and understanding the seasonal variation in subsurface salinity. The CMIP5 and CMIP6 models overestimate the magnitude of the seasonal variation of the SSS in the tropics in the region 20°S–20°N but underestimate the magnitude of the seasonal change in S1000 in the Atlantic and Indian oceans. These assessments show new features of the model errors in simulating ocean salinity and support further studies of the global hydrological cycle.     

Trends in Extremes of Surface Humidity, Temperature, and Summertime Heat Stress in China

l. IntroductionPrevious studies have shown climatological and seasonal surface temperature and humld-ity dlstributlons over China (Wang and Gaffen, 200l ) and evaluated trends in seasonal meansof several surface humidity variables, rainfall, temperatures, and apparent temPerature for thelast half century (Easterling et al., 2000, Zhai et al., 1999, Zhai and Eskridge, l997, Zhai andRen, l997, Wang and Gaffen, 200l). However, trends in local temperatures, and particularlytrends in extreme he…     

Simulation of Effects of Land Use Change on Climate in China by a Regional Climate Model

Climate effects of land use change in China as simulated by a regional climate model (RegCM2)are investigated. The model is nested in one-way mode within a global coupled atmosphere-ocean model(CSIRO R21L9 AOGCM). Two multi-year simulations, one with current land use and the other with potential vegetation cover, are conducted. Statistically significant changes of precipitation, surface air temperature, and daily maximum and daily minimum temperature are analyzed based on the difference between the two simulations. The simulated effects of land use change over China include a decrease of mean annual precipitation over Northwest China, a region with a prevalence of arid and semi-arid areas;an increase of mean annual surfaoe air temperature over some areas; and a decrease of temperature along coastal areas. Summer mean daily maximum temperature increases in many locations, while winter mean daily minimum temperature decreases in East China and increases in Northwest China. The upper soil moisture decreases significantly across China. The results indicate that the same land use change may cause different climate effects in different regions depending on the surrounding environment and climate characteristics.     

A Modeling Study of Climate Change and Its Implication for Agriculture in China Part II: The Implication of Climate Change for Agriculture in China

The potential CO2-induced impacts on the geographical shifts of wheat growth zones in China were studied from seven GCMs outputs. The wheat growth regions may move northward and westward under the condition of a doubling CO2 climate. The wheat cultivation features and variety types may also assume significant changes. Climatic warming would have a positive influence in Northeast China, but high temperature stress may be produced in some regions of central and southern China. Higher mean air temperatures during wheat growth, particularly during the reproductive stages, may increase the need for earlier-maturing and more heat-tolerant cultivars.     

How Large Precipitation Changes over Global Monsoon Regions by CMIP5 Models?

Future changes in precipitation over global monsoon domains and their adjacent dry regions are investigated using present-day climate simulations(1986–2005)and future climate simulations under the Representative Concentration Pathways(RCP4.5)scenario by the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5(CMIP5)models.In the present-day climate simulations,high reproducibility of the extents of global monsoon domains and dry regions is observed from the multi-model ensemble(MME)result;the associated local summer precipitation variation and its interannual variability are also successfully reproduced.In the future,the global monsoon domains are projected to be expanded,while the dry regions are expected to initially increase and then decrease.The summer precipitation and its variability show significant increases over most global monsoon domains and obvious decreases over their adjacent dry regions.These results indicate that currently wet regions will become wetter and dry areas will be dryer under global warming conditions.Further analysis indicates that changes in summer precipitation over global monsoon and dry regions can be interpreted as moisture convergence changes associated with changes in horizontal moisture transport.     

A Review of Decadal／Interdecadal Climate Variation Studies in China

Decadal/interdecadal climate variability is an important element in the CLIVAR (Climate Variability and Predictability) and has received much attention in the world. Many studies in relation to interdecadal variation have also been completed by Chinese scientists in recent years. In this paper, an introduction in outline for interdecadal climate variation research in China is presented. The content includes the features of interdecadal climate variability in China, global warming and interdecadal temperature variability,the NAO (the North Atlantic Oscillation)/NPO (the North Pacific Oscillation) and interdecadal climate variation in China, the interdecadal variation of the East Asian monsoon, the interdecadal mode of SSTA(Sea Surface Temperature Anomaly) in the North Pacific and its climate impact, and abrupt change feature of the climate.     

Recent Progress in the Impact of the Tibetan Plateau on Climate in China

Studies of the impacts of the Tibetan Plateau （TP） on climate in China in the last four years are reviewed. It is reported that temperature and precipitation over the TP have increased during recent decades. From satellite data analysis, it is demonstrated that most of the precipitation over the TP is from deep convection clouds. Moreover, the huge TP mechanical forcing and extraordinary elevated thermal forcing impose remarkable impacts upon local circulation and global climate. In winter and spring, stream flow is deflected by a large obstacle and appears as an asymmetric dipole, making East Asia much colder than mid Asia in winter and forming persistent rainfall in late winter and early spring over South China. In late spring, TP heating contributes to the establishment and intensification of the South Asian high and the abrupt seasonal transition of the surrounding circulations. In summer, TP heating in conjunction with the TP air pump cause the deviating stream field to resemble a cyclonic spiral, converging towards and rising over the TP. Therefore, the prominent Asian monsoon climate over East Asia and the dry climate over mid Asia in summer are forced by both TP local forcing and Eurasian continental forcing.
Due to the longer memory of snow and soil moisture, the TP thermal status both in summer and in late winter and spring can influence the variation of Eastern Asian summer rainfall. A combined index using both snow cover over the TP and the ENSO index in winter shows a better seasonal forecast.
On the other hand, strong sensible heating over the Tibetan Plateau in spring contributes significantly to anchor the earliest Asian monsoon being over the eastern Bay of Bengal （BOB） and the western Indochina peninsula. Qualitative prediction of the BOB monsoon onset was attempted by using the sign of meridional temperature gradient in March in the upper troposphere, or at 400 hPa over the TP. It is also demonstrated by a numerical experiment and theoretical study that the heating over the TP lea     

Changes in Extreme Events as Simulated by a High-Resolution Regional Climate Model for the Next 20–30 Years over China

In this paper, the changes in temperature and precipitation extremes over the next 20-30 years (2021-2050) in relative to the present day (1986-2005) under the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES) A1B scenario are analyzed based on a high-resolution climate change simulation performed by a regional climate model (the Abdus Salam International Center for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) RegCM3). The extreme indices of summer days (SU), frost days (FD), and growing season length (GSL) for temperature and simple daily intensity index (SDII), number of days with precipitation ≥10 mm d-1 (R10), and consecutive dry days (CDD) for precipitation are used as the indicators of the extremes. The results show that the indices simulated by RegCM3 in the present day show good agreement with the observed. A general increase in SU, a decrease in FD, and an increase in GSL are found to occur in the next 20-30 years over China. A general increase in SDII, an increase in R10 over western China, and a decrease in R10 in north, northeast, and central China are simulated by the model. Changes in CDD are characterized by a decrease in the north and an increase in the south and the Tibetan Plateau.