Spatiotemporal variability of precipitation during 1961–2014 across the Mongolian Plateau

Precipitation is the dominant factor that controls vegetation growth and land-use practices in the arid and semiarid Mongolian Plateau(MP), so the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of precipitation change has been an important scientific question in the region. This study investigated the spatiotemporal characteristics of annual and seasonal precipitation across the entire MP based on monthly precipitation data from 136 meteorological stations during 1961–2014 by using a modified Mann–Kendall test, Sen's slope, Morlet Wavelet Transform, and geostatistical methods. Results show the following: 1) Annual precipitation decreased slightly from 1961 to 2014.Stations with positive and negative trends were 41.9%and 58.1%, respectively. Significant positive trends were mainly in the southwestern and northeastern regions of the plateau, whereas significant negative trends were in the northern and southeastern regions.2) Precipitation decreased at rates of-5.65 and-0.41 mm/decade in summer and autumn, respectively, but increased at 1.91 and 0.51 mm/decade in spring and winter. The contribution of spring and winter precipitation to the annual amount increased significantly, but that of summer precipitation decreased significantly. 3) A large majority of stations(80.2%) showed decreasing trends in summer,whereas 89.7% and 83.1% of stations showed increasing trends in spring and winter. The spatial distribution of trend magnitude in seasonal precipitation amount was strongly heterogeneous. 4)By climatic zones, precipitation increased in humid and arid zones, but decreased in a semiarid zone. On the whole, the MP experienced a drying trend, with significant regional differentiation and seasonal variations.     

Hydrological Processes in the Huaihe River Basin,China: Seasonal Variations,Causes and Implications

Understanding streamflow changes in terms of trends and periodicities and relevant causes is the first step into scientific management of water resources in a changing environment. In this study, monthly streamflow variations were analyzed using Modified Mann-Kendall(MM-K) trend test and Continuous Wavelet Transform(CWT) methods at 9 hydrological stations in the Huaihe River Basin. It was found that: 1) streamflow mainly occurs during May to September, accounting for 70.4% of the annual total streamflowamount with Cv values between 0.16–0.85 and extremum ratio values between 1.70–23.90; 2) decreased streamflow can be observed in the Huaihe River Basin and significant decreased streamflow can be detected during April and May, which should be the results of precipitation change and increased irrigation demand; 3) significant periods of 2–4 yr were detected during the 1960 s, the 1980 s and the 2000 s. Different periods were found at stations concentrated within certain regions implying periods of streamflow were caused by different influencing factors for specific regions; 4) Pacific Decadal Oscillation(PDO) has the most significant impacts on monthly streamflow mainly during June. Besides, Southern Oscillation Index(SOI), North Atlantic Oscillation(NAO) and the Ni?o3.4 Sea Surface Temperature(Ni?o3.4) have impacts on monthly streamflow with three months lags, and was less significant in time lag of six months. Identification of critical climatic factors having impacts on streamflow changes can help to predict monthly streamflow changes using climatic factors as explanatory variables. These findings were well corroborated by results concerning impacts of El Nino-Southern Oscillation(ENSO) regimes on precipitation events across the Huaihe River Basin. The results of this study can provide theoretical background for basin-scale management of water resources and agricultural irrigation.     

Impacts of climatic change on river runoff in northern Xinjiang of China over last fifty years

The characteristics of climatic change and river runoff, as well as the response of river runoff to climatic change in the northern Xinjiang are analyzed on the basis of the hydrological and meteorological data over the last 50 years by the methods of Mann-Kendall nonparametric test and the nonlinear regression model. The results show that: 1) The temperature and the precipitation increased significantly in the whole northern Xinjiang, but the precipitation displayed no obvious change, or even a decreasing trend in the northern mountainous area of the northern Xinjiang. 2) River runoff varied in different regions in the northern Xinjiang. It significantly increased in the northern slope of the Tianshan Mountains and the north of the northern Xinjiang (p=0.05), while slightly increased in the west of the northern Xinjiang. 3) North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) affects river runoff by influencing temperature and precipita-tion. The NAO and precipitation had apparent significant correlations with the river runoff, but the temperature did not in the northern Xinjiang. Since the mid-1990s river runoff increase was mainly caused by the increasing temperature in the northern slope of the Tianshan Mountains and the north of the northern Xinjiang. Increased precipitation resulted in increased river runoff in the west of the northern Xinjiang.     

近55年来澜沧江流域降水时空变化特征分析

本文利用澜沧江流域及周边共30个气象站点1960-2014年的逐月降水数据,采用气候倾向率、Mann-Kendall趋势检验、Morlet小波分析、Co-Kriging插值以及重心模型等方法,分析了澜沧江流域降水的时空变化特征。结果表明：① 分析时段内全区、北部和中部年降水量呈现增加趋势,南部年降水量出现减少趋势。春季全区、北部、中部和南部降水均呈增加趋势;夏季均呈减少趋势;秋季全区和南部降水呈现减少趋势,北部和中部呈增加趋势;冬季全区、中部和南部呈下降趋势,只有北部呈增加趋势。② 近55年来,全区包括北部、中部和南部年降水都存在近29年、近22年和5-10年左右的周期,这3个周期在分析时段内表现很稳定,具有全域性。全区、北部和南部还存在明显的13年左右的周期,中部1975年前和1995年后也存在13年左右的周期,北部1975年前存在明显的7-10年的周期,1995年后,7-10年的周期表现也比较稳定。降水量变化的第一主周期是近29年,第二主周期是近22年。③ 澜沧江流域多年平均降水量由南部向北部减少,流域南部降水最多,多年平均降水量在1200 mm以上,中部多年平均降水量处于800~1100 mm,北部多年平均降水量多小于800 mm,大部分在400~800 mm;澜沧江流域年降水重心和月降水重心都集中在中部,其中11月的降水重心迁移距离最大,向东南方向迁移了131.82 km。从季节来看,春季、夏季和秋季降水重心向东南迁移,冬季的向西北方向迁移,雨季降水重心相对比较集中,旱季降水重心相对 比较分散。     

四川巴中地区38年来气候变化特征分析

利用1971—2008年巴中地区4个站点的地面常规观测资料和滑动平均、MK法及MHF小波分析等统计诊断方法,分析了该地区降水和温度的年际、年代际的气候变化特征。结果表明：巴中地区的年均气温总体上表现出暖→冷→暖3个阶段,并呈现出8年的准周期变化特征;冬春气温的年代际变化显示出暖→冷→暖3个阶段性特征,而夏秋气温的年代际变化则显示出暖→冷→暖→冷4个阶段性特征。巴中地区的年降水量呈现出减少的趋势,递减率为13．813mm／10年;春季降水量低于全国的春季平均水平,夏、秋季平均降水量均高于全国的平均水平,且占到全年降水量的80％以上。巴中地区的年降水量存在较为显著的2年和6年的准周期变化,降水量增加和减少的突变较多显示出其复杂性。春、夏、秋三季的降水量有随温度升高而下降的趋势,而冬季的降水量有随温度的升高先增多后减少的趋势。巴中气候特征的分析对巴中农业区划和生产安排有其重要意义。     

龙泉驿地区降水的多尺度特征及集中性研究

针对强降水是龙泉驿地区滑坡泥石流等地质灾害产生的重要诱因的问题,通过趋势分析法、Morlet小波分析方法、统计分析等分析了龙泉驿地区降水整体趋势,年、季降水量及降水日数的多尺度变化特征,及月、旬、日降水的集中性特征。结果表明,龙泉驿地区年季降水量总体呈下降趋势,但2006年后降水量开始显示出增加趋势。年降水量显示出3年、9年左右的准周期震荡,降水13数周期震荡则比较复杂。2008年以后龙泉驿地区年、季降水处于丰水期,降水集中性显著,降水强度有增大趋势,夏秋季有发生地质灾害的可能性。可诱发龙泉驿地区地质灾害的主要降水时段和降水比重极值时段为7、8月,1980年代初中期降水集中性主要出现在7月份,1980年代中后期至2000年代主要出现在8月份。19--25旬是降水的集中性时段,而日降水高峰时段出现在0：00～7：00时段尤其是2：00～5：00时段。     

Trends in temperature and precipitation extremes over Circum-Bohai-Sea region, China

Trends in temperature and precipitation extremes from 1961 to 2008 have been investigated over Circum-Bohai-Sea region,China using daily temperature and precipitation data of 63 meteorological stations.The re-sults show that at most stations,there is a significant increase in the annual frequency of warm days and warm nights,as well as a significant decrease in the annual frequency of cold days,cold nights,frost days,and annual diurnal temperature range(DTR).Their regional averaged changes are 2.06 d/10yr,3.95 d/10yr,-1.88 d/10yr,-4.27 d/10yr,-4.21 d/10yr and-0.20℃/10yr,respectively.Seasonal changes display similar patterns to the annual results,but there is a large seasonal difference.A significant warming trend is detected at both annual and seasonal scales,which is more contributed by changes of indices defined by daily minimum temperature than those defined by daily maximum tem-perature.For precipitation indices,the regional annual extreme precipitation displays a weak decrease in terms of magnitude and frequency,i.e.extreme precipitation days(RD95p),intensity(RINTEN),proportion(RPROP) and maximum consecutive wet days(CWD),but a slight increase in the maximum consecutive dry days(CDD),which are consistent with changes of annual total precipitation(PRCPTOT).Seasonally,PRCPTOT and RD95p both exhibit an increase in spring and a decrease in other seasons with the largest decrease in summer,but generally not significant.In summary,this study shows a pronounced warming tendency at the less rainy period over Circum-Bohai-Sea region,which may affect regional economic development and ecological protection to some extent.     

四川巴中地区38年来气候变化特征分析

利用1971—2008年巴中地区4个站点的地面常规观测资料和滑动平均、MK法及MHF小波分析等统计诊断方法,分析了该地区降水和温度的年际、年代际的气候变化特征。结果表明：巴中地区的年均气温总体上表现出暖→冷→暖3个阶段,并呈现出8年的准周期变化特征;冬春气温的年代际变化显示出暖→冷→暖3个阶段性特征,而夏秋气温的年代际变化则显示出暖→冷→暖→冷4个阶段性特征。巴中地区的年降水量呈现出减少的趋势,递减率为13．813mm／10年;春季降水量低于全国的春季平均水平,夏、秋季平均降水量均高于全国的平均水平,且占到全年降水量的80％以上。巴中地区的年降水量存在较为显著的2年和6年的准周期变化,降水量增加和减少的突变较多显示出其复杂性。春、夏、秋三季的降水量有随温度升高而下降的趋势,而冬季的降水量有随温度的升高先增多后减少的趋势。巴中气候特征的分析对巴中农业区划和生产安排有其重要意义。     

Water discharge variability of Changjiang （Yangtze） and Huanghe （Yellow） Rivers and its response to climatic changes

Influences of large-scale climatic phenomena, such as the E1Nifio/La Nifia-Southem Oscillation （ENSO） and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation （PDO）, on the temporal variations of the annual water discharge at the Lijin station in the Huanghe （Yellow） River and at the Datong station in the Changjiang （Yangtze） River were examined. Using the empirical mode decomposition-maximum entropy spectral analysis （EMD- MESA） method, the 2- to 3-year, 8- to 14-year, and 23-year cyclical variations of the annual water discharge at the two stations were discovered. Based on the analysis results, the hydrological time series on the inter- annual to interdecadal scales were constructed. The results indicate that from 1950 to 2011, a significant downward trend occurred in the natural annual water discharge in Huanghe River. However, the changes in water discharge in Changjiang River basin exhibited a slightly upward trend. It indicated that the changes in the river discharge in the Huanghe basin were driven primarily by precipitation. Other factors, such as the precipitation over the Changjiang River tributaries, ice melt and evaporation contributed much more to the increase in the Changjiang River basin. Especially, the impacts of the inter-annual and inter-decadal climate oscillations such as ENSO and PDO could change the long-term patterns of precipitation over the basins of the two major rivers. Generally, low amounts of basin-wide precipitation on interannual to interdecadal scales over the two rivers corresponded to most of the warm ENSO events and the warm phases of the PDO, and vice versa. The positive phases of the PDO and ENSO could lead to reduced precipitation and consequently affect the long-term scale water discharges at the two rivers.     

Long-range precipitation forecasts using paleoclimate reconstructions in the western United States

Long-range precipitation forecasts are useful when managing water supplies.Oceanicatmospheric oscillations have been shown to influence precipitation.Due to a longer cycle of some of the oscillations,a short instrumental record is a limitation in using them for long-range precipitation forecasts.The influence of oscillations over precipitation is observable within paleoclimate reconstructions;however,there have been no attempts to utilize these reconstructions in precipitation forecasting.A data-driven model,KStar,is used for obtaining long-range precipitation forecasts by extending the period of record through the use of reconstructions of oscillations.KStar is a nearest neighbor algorithm with an entropy-based distance function.Oceanic-atmospheric oscillation reconstructions include the El Nino-Southern Oscillation(ENSO),the Pacific Decadal Oscillation(PDO),the North Atlantic Oscillation(NAO),and the Atlantic Multi-decadal Oscillation(AMO).Precipitation is forecasted for 20 climate divisions in the western United States.A 10-year moving average is applied to aid in the identification of oscillation phases.A lead time approach is used to simulate a one-year forecast,with a 10-fold cross-validation technique to test the models.Reconstructions are used from 1658-1899,while the observed record is used from 1900-2007.The model is evaluated using mean absolute error(MAE),root mean squared error(RMSE),RMSE-observations standard deviation ratio(RSR),Pearson’s correlation coefficient(R),NashSutcliffe coefficient of efficiency(NSE),and linear error in probability space(LEPS) skill score(SK).The role of individual and coupled oscillations is evaluated by dropping oscillations in the model.The results indicate ’good’ precipitation estimates using the KStar model.This modeling technique is expected to be useful for long-term water resources planning and management.     

Interannual wave climate variability in the Taiwan Strait and its relationship to ENSO events

This study investigated the interannual wave climate variability in the Taiwan Strait(TS) and its relationship to the El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation(ENSO) phenomenon using a high-resolution numerical wave model. The results showed the interannual variability of significant wave height(SWH) in the TS, which exhibits significant spatial and seasonal variations, is typically weaker than the seasonal variability. The standard deviation of the interannual SWH anomaly(SWHA) showed similar spatial variations in the TS throughout the year, being largest in the middle of the strait and decreasing shoreward, except in summer, when there was no local maximum in the middle of the TS. Further analyses proved the interannual wave climate variability in the TS is controlled predominantly by tropical cyclone activities in summer and by the northeasterly monsoon winds in winter. Furthermore, the interannual SWHA in the TS was found correlated highly negatively with the ENSO phenomenon. This relationship mainly derives from that during the northeasterly monsoon seasons. During the northeasterly monsoon seasons in El Ni?o(La Ni?a) years, the negative(positive) SWHA in the TS derives from weakened(strengthened) northeasterly monsoon winds induced by a lower-tropospheric anomalous anticyclone(cyclone) over the western Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea. During the southwesterly monsoon season in El Ni?o(La Ni?a) years, however, the SWH in the TS tends to increase(decrease) anomalously because of intensified(weakened) TC activities over the western North Pacific Ocean and adjacent seas.     

近50年中国地表净辐射的时空变化特征分析

基于GIS空间分析技术与Mann-Kendall趋势分析方法,对中国陆地区域699个气象站点1961-2010年逐年、季平均地表净辐射进行时空变化特征分析,结果表明:(1)参数拟合后的FAO Penman修正式对模拟站点逐日地表净辐射的总体精度较高,均方根误差为27.9W.m-2,相关系数为0.85,平均相对误差为0.13;(2)全国近50年站点平均地表净辐射在年、季均呈现出较明显的下降过程,年均降幅为0.74W.m-2.10a-1,不同季节的下降幅度存在差异,夏季降幅最大;(3)逐站点分析显示全国大部分站点(59.8%)年均地表净辐射呈显著下降趋势(0.05),东部趋势变化比西部明显,夏季在地表净辐射年际变化中的贡献最大,华北、华中、华南地区的站点在春夏秋季均呈显著下降趋势。     

Climatology and seasonal variability of satellite-derived chlorophyll a around the Shandong Peninsula

The chlorophyll a(Chl a) is an important indicator of marine ecosystems. The spatiotemporal variation of the Chl a greatly aff ects the mariculture and marine ranching in coastal waters of the Shandong Peninsula. In the current study, the climatology and seasonal variability of surface Chl-a concentration around the Shandong Peninsula are investigated based on 16 years(December 2002–November 2018) of satellite observations. The results indicate that the annual mean Chl-a concentration is greater in the Bohai Sea than in the Yellow Sea and decreases from coastal waters to off shore waters. The highest Chl-a concentrations are found in Laizhou Bay(4.2–8.0 mg/m 3), Haizhou Bay(4.2–5.9 mg/m 3) and the northeast coast of the Shandong Peninsula(4.4–5.0 mg/m 3), resulting from the combined eff ects of the intense riverine input and long residence time caused by the concave shape of the coastline. The seasonal Chl-a concentration shows a signifi cant spatial variation. The Chl-a concentrations in these three subregions generally exhibit an annual maximum in August/September, due to the combined eff ects of sea surface temperature, river discharge and sea surface wind. In the southeast coast region, however, the Chl-a concentration is lowest throughout the year and reaches a maximum in February with a minimum in July, forced by the seasonal evolution of the Yellow Sea Cold Water and monsoon winds. The interannual Chl-a concentration trends vary among regions and seasons. There are signifi cant increasing trends over a large area around Haizhou Bay from winter to summer, which are mainly caused by the rising sea surface temperature and eutrophication. In other coastal areas, the Chl-a concentration shows decreasing trends, which are clearest in summer and induced by the weakening land rainfall. This study highlights the diff erences in the Chl-a dynamics among regions around the Shandong Peninsula and is helpful for further studies of coupled physical-ecological-human interactions at multiple scales.     

Hydrological impacts of climate change on streamflow of Dongliao River watershed in Jilin Province, China

The impacts of future climate change on streamflow of the Dongliao River Watershed located in Jilin Province,China have been evaluated quantitatively by using a general circulation model(HadCM3)coupled with the Soil and Water Assessment Tool(SWAT)hydrological model.The model was calibrated and validated against the historical monitored data from 2005 to 2009.The streamflow was estimated by downscaling HadCM3 outputs to the daily mean temperature and precipitation series,derived for three 30-year time slices,2020s,2050s and 2080s.Results suggest that daily mean temperature increases with a changing rate of 0.435℃per decade,and precipitation decreases with a changing rate of 0.761 mm per decade.Compared with other seasons,the precipitation in summer shows significant downward trend,while a significant upward trend in autumn.The annual streamflow demonstrates a general downward trend with a decreasing rate of 0.405 m3/s per decade.The streamflow shows significant downward and upward trends in summer and in autumn,respectively.The decreasing rate of streamflow in summer reaches 1.97 m 3 /s per decade,which contributes primarily to the decrease of streamflow.The results of this work would be of great benifit to the design of economic and social development planning in the study area.     

Climate Changes in Northeastern China During Last Four Decades

The northeastern China is a sensitive region of climate change, whose detailed trend of climate changes is highly interesting. In this study, this kind of variation trend was analyzed. Potential evapotranspiration (PE) and moisture index (MI) were modeled by using Thornthwaite scheme based on the observation data of 1961-2004 from 94 meteorological stations. To describe the climate fluctuation in the northeastern China in 1961-2004, the linear regression method was used to analyze the variation trends of mean annual temperature, mean annual precipitation, PE and MI. Mann-Kendall method was used to test the significant difference. The results show a general increasing tendency in mean annual temperature, mean annual precipitation, PE and MI. However increasing tendency was more significant in mean annual temperature and PE than in mean annual precipitation and MI. Analysis of seasonal climate variation indicates that there showed positive trends in winter and in spring, while the positive trend was more significant in winter than in spring. Furthermore, the relations between climate changes and geographical factors were analyzed, the results show that both climate factors and their interannual variability were correlated to latitude, longitude and altitude, suggesting that latitude is the most climate factor affecting climate changes, followed by altitude and longitude.     

Isotopic and chemical analyses of a temperate firn core from a Chinese alpine glacier and its regional climatic significance

Mt. Yulong is the southernmost currently glacier-covered area in Eurasia, including China. There are 19 sub-tropical temperate glaciers on the mountain, controlled by the south-western monsoon climate. In the summer of 1999, a firn core, 10. 10 m long, extending down to glacier ice, was recovered in the accumulation area of the largest glacier, Baishui No. 1. Periodic variations of climatic signals above 7. 8 m depth were apparent, and net accumulation of four years was identified by the annual oscillations of isotopic and ionic composition. The boundaries of annual accumulation were confirmed by higher values of electrical conductivity and pH, and by dirty refreezing ice layers at the levels of summer surfaces. Calculated mean annual net accumulation from 1994/1995 to 1997/1998 was about 900 mm water equivalent. The amplitude of isotopic variations in the profile decreased with increasing depth, and isotopic homogenization occurred below 7. 8 m as a result of meltwater percolation. Variations of δ18O above 7. 8 m showed an approximate correlation with the winter climatic trend at Li Jiang Station, 25 km away. Concentrations of Ca2+ and Mg2+ were much higher than those of Na+ and K+ , indicating that the air masses for precipitation were mainly from a continental source, and that the core material accumulated during the winter period. The close correspondence of C1- and Na+ indicated their common origin. Very low concentrations of SO2-4 and NO3- suggest that pollution caused by human activities is quite low in the area. The mean annual net accumulation in the core and the estimated ablation indicate that the average annual precipitation above the glacier's equilibrium line is 2400 - 3150 mm, but this needs to be confirmed by long term observation of mass balance.     

“一带一路”国家和地区百年尺度干旱化特征分析

为了充分了解“一带一路”国家和地区百年的干旱变化规律和趋势,探索其干湿变化情况,本文利用标准化降水蒸散指数SPEI（Standardized Precipitation Evaporation Index）1901-2013年12个月和3个月尺度的0.5°×0.5°数据,结合线性趋势、PCA主成分分析、Mann-Kenndall非参数检验和小波分析等方法研究多时间尺度下干旱趋势和周期变化特征。结果表明,研究区百年尺度内（1901-2013）干旱指数和面积呈现波动上升趋势,但干旱化进程缓慢,60%以上地区呈现缓慢变湿趋势,SPEI指数发生显著上升地区面积百分比为25.38%,发生显著下降地区面积仅占12.02%。MK检验和PCA分析均显示15°~35°N的中低纬度地区干旱化程度最为严重,主要地区为北非及阿拉伯半岛、伊朗高原,常年呈现显著干旱状态,而俄罗斯、哈萨克斯坦、印度半岛以及中国和蒙古两国干湿变化季节性特征明显。基于Morlet小波分析的周期分析显示,年际和季节SPEI指数的周期特征既具有相似性,又存在一定的差异性,尺度越小干湿变化交替越明显,尺度越大虽有全局特征但所展示的周期不能通过显著性检验,最终得到可用显著周期年际SPEI变化显著尺度为2~4 a,干旱特征在此尺度的周期中时间变化显著。     

Downscaling and disaggregating NAO-conflict nexus in pre-industrial Europe

Recently, the desiccation effect of the North Atlantic Oscillation(NAO) is found to be positively correlated with violent conflict in pre-industrial Europe, with agricultural shrinkage and its subsequent economic shocks to be their causal link. However, it remains unexplored whether the correlation persists if the study period is extended backward in time, a different definition of violent conflict is applied, or the relationship is examined at lower geographic levels. In this study, we based on 835 internal disturbance incidents in Europe during 1049–1800 to conduct long-temporal and multi-scalar examination on the NAO-conflict nexus. ′Time-series′ and ′panel data′ disaggregation approaches, together with Granger Causality, Multiple Regression, and Survival Analyses were applied to verify the nexus quantitatively. Results show that the positive NAO-conflict correlation was significant at the continent and physiographic zone levels. During the positive NAO phases, the annual probability of internal disturbance outbreak increased by 70.0% in the southern Europe and the Mediterranean, a zone most affected by the NAO-induced desiccation effect. Yet, the NAO-conflict correlation was rather inconsistent when it was downscaled to the sub-regional level. Moreover, the NAO-conflict correlation was inflated under the time-series approach, while the panel data approach demonstrated the region-specific nature of the NAO forcing more clearly. The associated implications in examining climate-conflict nexus are discussed. Our findings may be crucial in examining violent conflict in the northwestern Africa, a highly agricultural region affected by the NAO.     

Change of annual extreme water levels and correlation with river discharges in the middle-lower Yangtze River: Characteristics and possible affecting factors

As one of the fastest developing regions in China, the middle-lower Yangtze River(MLYR) is vulnerable to floods and droughts. With obtained time series of annual highest water level(HWL), annual lowest water level(LWL) and the corresponding river discharges from three gauging stations in MLYR that covering the period 1987–2011, the current study evaluated the change characteristics of annual extreme water levels and the correlation with river discharges by using the methods of trend test, Mann-Whitney-Pettitt(MWP) test and double mass analysis. Major result indicated a decreasing/increasing trend for annual HWL/LWL of all stations in MLYR during the study period. A change point in 1999 was identified for annual HWL at the Hankou and Datong stations. The year 2006 was found to be the critical year that the relationship between annual extreme water levels and river discharges changed in the MLYR. With contrast to annual LWL in MLYR, further investigation revealed that the change characteristics of annual HWL were highly consistent with regional precipitation in the Yangtze River Basin, while the linkage with Three Gorges Dam(TGD) operation is not strong. Our observation also pointed out that the effect of serious down cutting of the riverbed and the enlargement of the cross-section area during the initial period of TGD operation caused the downward trend of the relationship between annual LWL and river discharge. Whereas, the relatively raised river water level before the flood season due to TGD regulation since 2006 explained for the changing upward trend of the relationship between annual HWL and river discharge.     

Statistical Analysis of Tropical Disturbances over the South China Sea During 1997-2006

Tropical disturbances over the South China Sea (SCS) during the period of 1997-2006 are analyzed using the Tropical Storm and Hurricane WX products. A total of 158 tropical disturbances were formed over the SCS from 1997 to 2006, with 54 developing tropical disturbances which developed into tropical depressions and 104 non-developing tropical disturbances which never developed into tropical depressions. The development rate of tropical disturbances into tropical depressions was 34.18% in these ten years. During the period of this study, total annual numbers of tropical disturbances and developing tropical disturbances over the SCS had significant decreasing trends; however, the development rate of tropical disturbances had an insignificant increasing trend.