Response of the mean global vegetation distribution to interannual climate variability

The impact of interannual variability in temperature and precipitation on global terrestrial ecosystems is investigated using a dynamic global vegetation model driven by gridded climate observations for the twentieth century. Contrasting simulations are driven either by repeated mean climatology or raw climate data with interannual variability included. Interannual climate variability reduces net global vegetation cover, particularly over semi-arid regions, and favors the expansion of grass cover at the expense of tree cover, due to differences in growth rates, fire impacts, and interception. The area burnt by global fires is substantially enhanced by interannual precipitation variability. The current position of the central United States’ ecotone, with forests to the east and grasslands to the west, is largely attributed to climate variability. Among woody vegetation, climate variability supports expanded deciduous forest growth and diminished evergreen forest growth, due to difference in bioclimatic limits, leaf longevity, interception rates, and rooting depth. These results offer insight into future ecosystem distributions since climate models generally predict an increase in climate variability and extremes. CCR Contribution # 941     

大兴安岭气候干湿变化及对森林火灾的影响

明确气候变化背景下大兴安岭林区气候干湿状况特征,揭示其对森林火灾的影响,可为该区域森林火灾管理和森林资源保护提供科学依据。基于大兴安岭林区1974—2016年标准化降水指数（SPI）,采用统计分析和对比分析方法,系统研究不同干湿情景对森林火灾发生次数及过火面积的影响,并讨论不同等级干旱对其影响的异同性。结果表明:1974—2016年,年、季尺度上大兴安岭林区气候均呈湿润化趋势。森林火灾发生次数多（少）和过火面积大（小）与气候的干湿状况（等级）基本一致,但森林火灾的发生次数与气候干湿状况相关更为密切。年尺度上,SPI与火灾次数呈负相关,与过火面积的自然对数则呈较弱的负相关;季尺度上,各季节SPI与对应的林火次数和过火面积自然对数均呈显著的负相关,但与过火面积的相关程度差异较大,以春季相关最为显著,秋季次之,夏季则相对较弱;不同季节SPI与年林火次数和过火面积自然对数呈负相关,前一年冬季SPI对当年火灾次数的贡献最大。可见,气候干湿状况对森林火灾的影响存在明显的滞后效应。SPI不仅能较好地反映区域气候的干湿状况,亦能较好地指示森林火灾发生的可能性及发生火灾的过火面积的相对变化情况,可为森林火灾预测和管理提供科学依据。     

Climate Change and People-Caused Forest Fire Occurrence in Ontario

Climate change that results from increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has the potential to increase temperature and alter rainfall patterns across the boreal forest region of Canada. Daily output from the Canadian Climate Centre coupled general circulation model (GCM) and the Hadley Centre's HadCM3 GCM provided simulated historic climate data and future climate scenarios for the forested area of the province of Ontario, Canada. These models project that in climates of increased greenhouse gases and aerosols, surface air temperatures will increase while seasonal precipitation amounts will remain relatively constant or increase slightly during the forest fire season. These projected changes in weather conditions are used to predict changes in the moisture content of forest fuel, which influences the incidence of people-caused forest fires. Poisson regression analysis methods are used to develop predictive models for the daily number of fires occurring in each of the ecoregions across the forest fire management region of Ontario. This people-caused fire prediction model, combined with GCM data, predicts the total number of people-caused fires in Ontario could increase by approximately 18% by 2020–2040 and50% by the end of the 21st century.     

高分辨率MRI模式对青藏高原夏季降水及水汽输送通量的模拟

本文使用MRI模式在不同分辨率下(180 km、120 km、60 km、20 km)的AMIP试验结果, 分析了该模式对青藏高原夏季降水及水汽输送通量的模拟, 并考察模式分辨率的影响。结果表明:MRI模式能够较为合理地模拟出青藏高原夏季气候平均的降水空间分布, 但对气候平均水汽输送通量以及降水年际变化的模拟却存在较大的误差。随着分辨率的提高, 该模式对青藏高原气候平均降水的模拟有明显改进, 包括降水年循环以及夏季降水的空间分布等。分辨率为180 km、120 km、60 km、20 km的MRI模式模拟的青藏高原7月平均降水绝对误差分别为2.2 mm/d、1.2 mm/d、0.7 mm/d、0.2 mm/d。另外, 高分辨率模式模拟的青藏高原夏季水汽输送通量的年际变化也更接近观测。当分辨率达到20 km时, MRI模式模拟的西风水汽输送指数与观测的相关系数达到0.43, 通过了0.1显著性水平的显著性检验。但MRI模式对青藏高原夏季降水的年际变化以及气候平均水汽输送通量的模拟技巧并不随分辨率的增加有明显提高。低分辨率模式中模拟降水量偏大、印度季风槽偏强的现象在高分辨率模式中仍然存在。     

吉林省春秋季林火气象指数的建立及其变化特征

以吉林省为例,利用该省1952—2010年森林火灾(简称林火,下同)次数资料和全省气象站资料,分析该省林火次数时间变化特征及其与气象条件的关系,利用水分平衡法和统计回归方法建立林火次数气候影响评价模型并对其进行比较;在此基础上,利用水分平衡模型建立林火指数时间变化序列。结果表明,林火次数与降水、相对湿度、气温、风速等气象因子关系密切,水分平衡模型的气候影响评价效果优于统计回归模型;近62 a来吉林省林火指数和次数均呈增加趋势,表明气候变化有利于林火发生;2000年之后进入春、秋季林火多发期。     

Interannual variability of summer monsoon precipitation over the Indochina Peninsula in association with ENSO

The interannual variability of summer monsoon precipitation (1979–2011) over the Indochina Peninsula (ICP) is characterized using the first empirical orthogonal function of 5-month total precipitation (May to September). The leading mode, with a monopole pattern, accounts for 30.6 % of the total variance. Dynamic composites and linear regression analysis indicate that the rainy season precipitation over the ICP is linked to El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on interannual scales. The preceding winter [D(?1)JF(0)] negative sea surface temperature (SST) over the Niño-3.4 region is predominantly correlated with the rainy season precipitation over the ICP. Notably, the simultaneous correlation between remote SST anomalies in the Niño-3.4 region and the rainy season precipitation over the ICP is weak. The interannual variation of tropical cyclones modulated by ENSO is a significant contributing factor to the rainy season precipitation over the ICP. However, this relationship is not homogeneous over the ICP if ENSO is considered. Before removing the ENSO signal, enhanced precipitation is present over the northeastern part of the ICP and reduced precipitation appears in the western ICP, especially in coastal areas. In contrast, after removing ENSO, only a minor significant positive precipitation anomaly occurs over the northeastern part of the ICP and the negative anomaly appears particularly in the western and eastern coastal regions. The results obtained through the present study are useful for our understanding of circulation mechanisms and provide information for assessing the ability of regional and global climate models in simulating the climate of Southeast Asia.     

An assessment of potential change in wildfire activity in the Russian boreal forest zone induced by climate warming during the twenty-first century

The problem of forest fires is very important for Russia. In this paper we consider this problem in the connection with the projection of significant climate change. An approach to determine the magnitude of change in wildfire risk in Russia under the influence of climate warming is discussed. Observations for the European part of Russia and for Siberia have been used in this analysis. A statistical correlation between drought indices calculated by use of monthly sums of temperature and precipitation and the frequency of fire danger was obtained for the forest zone of Russia. The change in fire danger potential was evaluated using temperature and precipitation monthly means at the nodes of a regular spatial grid. Climate change scenarios were obtained from Global Climate Models (GCM) ensemble projections. The maximum increases (about 12–30%) of the number of days with fire danger conditions during the twenty-first century fire season were obtained for the southern forest zone boundary in both the European region of Russia and in Siberia. In the Baikal and Primoriye Regions, fire danger distributions in the twenty-first century are not projected to change significantly.     

Management alternatives to offset climate change effects on Mediterranean fire regimes in NE Spain

Fire regime is affected by climate and human settlements. In the Mediterranean, the predicted climate change is likely to exacerbate fire prone weather conditions, but the mid- to long-term impact of climate change on fire regime is not easily predictable. A negative feedback via fuel reduction, for instance, might cause a non-linear response of burned area to fire weather. Also, the number of fires escaping initial control could grow dramatically if the fire meteorology is just slightly more severe than what fire brigades are prepared for. Humans can directly influence fire regimes through ignition frequency, fire suppression and land use management. Here we use the fire regime model FIRE LADY to assess the impacts of climate change and local management options on number of fires, burned area, fraction of area burned in large fires and forest area during the twenty-first century in three regions of NE Spain. Our results show that currently fuel-humidity limited regions could suffer a drastic shift of fire regime with an up to 8 fold increase of annual burned area, due to a combination of fuel accumulation and severe fire weather, which would result in a period of unusually large fires. The impact of climate change on fire regime is predicted to be less pronounced in drier areas, with a gradual increase of burned area. Local fire prevention strategies could reduce but not totally offset climate induced changes in fire regimes. According to our model, a combination of restoring the traditional rural mosaic and classical fire prevention would be the most effective strategy, as a lower ignition frequency reduces the number of fires and the creation of agricultural fields in marginal areas reduces their extent.     

Changes in Fire and Climate in the Eastern Iberian Peninsula (Mediterranean Basin)

Fire is a dominant ecological factor in Mediterranean ecosystems, and changes in the fire regime can have important consequences for the stability of our landscapes. In this framework I asked firstly, what is the trend in fire number and area burned in the eastern Iberian Peninsula, and then, to what extent is the inter-annual variability of fires determined by climatic factors. To answer these questions I analysed the meteorological data (temperature and precipitation) from 350 stations covering the eastern Iberian Peninsula (1950–2000), and the fire records for the same area (historical data, 1874–1968, and data from recent decades, 1968–2000). The results suggested a slight tendency towards decreasing summer rainfall and a clear pattern of increasing annual and summer temperatures (on average, annual temperatures increased 0.35 °C per decade from 1950 to 2000). The analysis of fire records suggested a clear increase in the annual number of fires and area burned during the last century; however, in the last three decades the number of fires also increased but the area burned did not show a clear trend. For this period the inter-annual variability in area burned was significantly related to the summer rainfall, that is, in wet summers the area burned was lower that in dry summers. Furthermore, summer rainfall was significantly cross-correlated with summer area burned for a time-lag of 2 years, suggesting that high rainfall may increase fuel loads that burn 2 years later.     

土壤湿度年际异常对中国春、夏季气候模拟的影响

基于NCAR大气模式CAM3.1模式,设计了有、无土壤湿度年际异常两组试验对中国区域近40a(1961-2000年)气候进行了模拟。从气候态和年际变率的角度,通过分析两组试验的差值场来探讨土壤湿度年际异常对气候模拟的影响,并初步探讨了影响的可能机制。结果表明:模式模拟的温度和降水对土壤湿度的年际异常非常敏感,土壤湿度的年际变化对中国春夏季气候及其年际变率均有显著影响。当不考虑土壤湿度年际异常时,模式模拟的春夏季平均温度、最高温度、最低温度在我国大范围内降低,春夏季降水在东部大部分地区明显减少,西部增加。而模式模拟的春夏季温度、降水年际变率在中国大部分地区减弱。但当考虑土壤湿度的年际变化,则能在一定程度上提高模式对气候年际变率的模拟能力。在进一步分析表明土壤湿度年际异常时,主要通过改变地表能量通量和环流场,对温度、降水产生影响。当不考虑土壤湿度年际异常时,地表净辐射通量减少,地表温度降低,感热通量减少。感热通量差值场的空间变化和温度差值场的空间变化一致,感热通量对温度有一定影响。而潜热通量差值场的空间变化和降水的差值场的空间变化一致,可见降水受地表潜热通量的影响。土壤湿度年际异常引起的环流场的变化也是导致气候变化的原因之一,地表能量和环流场年际变率的改变对春夏季气候年际变率存在一定影响。     

广西夏季降水量潜在可预报性估计

研究和评价短期气候预测方法必须了解月或季平均量的年际变率有多少是可以被预报出来的。通常认为, 总的年际变率能够被划分为主要来源于大气下边界条件持续性强迫的可预报成分和来源于“天气噪声”的不可预报成分, 这两个成分的方差之比给出潜在预报性的测度。文章用低频白噪声延伸法及日降水量独立和相关假设下的方差分析方法估计了广西夏季降水量潜在可预报的气候信号方差和天气噪声方差。结果表明:全区都存在潜在可预报信号, 在中部和东部气候信号最强, 南部最弱。以绝对误差小于均方差0.68倍作为预报正确的标准, 则预报正确率上限在自治区中部和东部约为72 %, 南部约为59 %, 北部和西部约为62 %。     

基于青藏高原春季感热异常信号的中国东部夏季降水统计预测模型

使用1980-2014年由青藏高原中东部的地面气象观测台站观测资料计算得到的地表感热通量以及中国东部高分辨率的降水格点资料,在年代际变化和年际变率两个时间尺度上,使用最大协方差分析方法研究了青藏高原春季感热与中国东部夏季6、7和8月降水的关系,基于最大协方差关联因子的时间尺度分解回归分析方法建立了一个降水统计预测模型。青藏高原春季感热的各个关联预报因子与中国东部夏季各月降水的相关分析表明,在年代际成分中,6、7和8月在中国东部绝大部分地区均存在显著相关,方差贡献分别为75.6%、99.9%和79.7%;在年际成分中,相关区域在6月是华南地区、华北沿海地区和江淮流域,7月是华南地区西南部、长江流域、东北地区东南部和黄河中下游地区,8月是东北地区和华南地区西部,方差贡献分别为42.7%、43.4%和32.0%。预测模型的解释方差分析和后报试验检验表明,7月对整个中国东部地区预测效果最好,6月主要在长江以南地区,而8月主要在东北地区和华南地区西部预测效果较好。该预测模型能很好描述青藏高原春季感热与中国东部夏季各月降水的关联性,并对局地降水实现较好的定量预测,具有在短期气候预测业务应用的价值。      

局地蒸发和外部水汽输送对松花江流域夏季降水的贡献

本文基于Brubaker二元模型,采用JRA-55再分析资料定量研究了局地蒸发和外部水汽输送对松花江流域夏季气候态降水及其年际变率的相对贡献,并探讨了相应的物理机制。气候平均而言,外部水汽输送是松花江流域初夏（5～6月）和盛夏（7～8月）降水的最主要水汽源。受西风带影响,初夏自西边界进入松花江流域的水汽贡献占主导,外部水汽输送对当地降水的贡献为78.9%,源自蒸发的水汽贡献为21.1%。较之初夏,由于盛夏来自南边界的水汽输送加倍,外部水汽输送贡献增加,外部水汽输送和蒸发对降水贡献分别为86%和14%。JRA-55再分析资料可以合理再现观测降水演变,1961～2016年JRA-55再分析资料降水与观测在初夏与盛夏的相关系数分别可以达到0.73和0.83。研究发现,初夏,由于西南季风异常导致的南边界进入的水汽输送异常是松花江流域降水年际变率的主要原因,自西边界、北边界进入的水汽输送与降水呈现显著负相关,初夏局地蒸发的贡献不显著,该水汽输送异常对应的环流型易发生在El Ni?o衰减年初夏。盛夏来自南边界的水汽输送起主导作用,局地蒸发贡献与降水变化显著负相关,海温强迫作用对该环流异常的强迫并不显著,中高纬度大气内部变率影响占主导。由于盛夏降水与地表温度在盛夏期间显著负相关,盛夏时期降水偏少时,温度偏高,蒸发偏强,进而蒸发水汽对降水贡献增加。     

陇中黄土高原陆面辐射分量年际变化及其对气候波动的响应

本文利用兰州大学半干旱气候与环境观测站(SACOL站)2006—2012年陆面过程观测资料以及榆中站气象资料,分析了陆面各辐射收支分量对于气候波动的响应,并且研究了地表反照率年际波动变化,讨论了各陆面过程参数对于黄土高原气候背景年际波动的反馈。并且根据黄土高原降水类型将全年分为冬夏半年讨论,以得到更为显著的年际变化特征和相关关系。结果显示,2006—2012年气温降水的趋势与近年来黄土高原暖干化总趋势相吻合。地表浅层土壤湿度和温度都与气温、降水呈现很好的响应。气候因素的综合影响是地表反照率变化波动的原因。通过冬夏半年资料区分探究得到,长波辐射分量与气候要素的相关较短波辐射分量与气候要素的相关性更强。但总体而言,陆面过程对于该地区气候背景波动的响应机制是较为复杂的。     

1961～2017年雅鲁藏布江河谷地区夏季气候暖干化趋势

基于1961～2017年青藏高原腹地雅鲁藏布江河谷地区4个站（拉萨、日喀则、泽当和江孜）夏季（6～8月）月平均气温、降水和相对湿度等观测资料,分析了该地区夏季气候年际和年代际演变特征,并探讨了气温、降水和相对湿度在年际和年代际时间尺度上的相互关系以及与总云量和地面水汽压的联系。结果表明:（1）1961～2017年该地区夏季气候出现了暖干化趋势。气温（相对湿度）显著升高（下降）,降水趋势变化不明显;本世纪初气温（相对湿度）均发生了显著的突变。（2）该地区夏季气候因子间在年际和年代际时间尺度上存在密切关系:气温与相对湿度和降水均存在明显的负相关,降水与相对湿度为正相关。（3）该地区夏季气候因子间的年际和年代际变化与同期总云量和地面水汽变化有关。1961～2017年总云量持续减少是气温显著升高的主要原因之一,气温的显著升高和降水变化不明显又造成了相对湿度的显著下降。     

Summer maximum temperature in northern France over the past century: instrumental data versus multiple proxies (tree-ring isotopes, grape harvest dates and forest fires)

Changes in maximum spring and summer temperature are expected to have impacts on plant phenology and the occurrence of forest fires. Homogenised instrumental records of maximum spring and summer temperature are available in northern France for the past century, as well as documentary records of grape harvest dates and forest fire frequencies. Here we provide a new proxy of seasonal climate obtained by the analysis of latewood tree ring cellulose isotopic composition (δ¹⁸O, δ¹³C and δD), from 15 living oak trees (Quercus petraea) sampled in the Fontainebleau forest, near Paris. For the past 30 years, we have conducted a study on the inter-tree (for oxygen isotopes) and inter-station (for oxygen and hydrogen) isotopic variability. Multiple linear regression statistical analyses are used to assess the response function of documentary and tree-ring isotopic records to a variety of climatic and hydrological parameters. This calibration study highlights the correlation between latewood tree-ring δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C, grape harvest dates and numbers of forest fire starts with maximum growing season (April to September) temperature, showing the potential of multiple proxy reconstructions to assess the past fluctuations of this parameter prior to the instrumental period.     

Climate change impacts on wildfires in a Mediterranean environment

We analyse the observed climate-driven changes in summer wildfires and their future evolution in a typical Mediterranean environment (NE Spain). By analysing observed climate and fire data from 1970 to 2007, we estimate the response of fire number (NF) and burned area (BA) to climate trends, disentangling the drivers responsible for long-term and interannual changes by means of a parsimonious Multi Linear Regression model (MLR). In the last forty years, the observed NF trend was negative. Here we show that, if improvements in fire management were not taken into account, the warming climate forcing alone would have led to a positive trend in NF. On the other hand, for BA, higher fuel flammability is counterbalanced by the indirect climate effects on fuel structure (i.e. less favourable conditions for fine-fuel availability and fuel connectivity), leading to a slightly negative trend. Driving the fire model with A1B climate change scenarios based on a set of Regional Climate Models from the ENSEMBLES project indicates that increasing temperatures promote a positive trend in NF if no further improvements in fire management are introduced.     

索马里越赤道气流对越南降水变化的影响

基于1979-2002年CMAP全球降水资料和NCEP／NCAR再分析资料，研究了越南降水的季节和年际变化特征及其受索马里越赤道气流的影响。结果表明，越南南北方降水具有不同的季节和年际变化特征，南方降水主要集中在夏季和秋季，且夏、秋季降水的变化呈反位相关系，而北方降水则集中在夏季。夏季索马里气流与同期及后期越南南方降水有很好的相关性，同期为显著的正相关，后期为显著的负相关。相对而言，索马里越赤道气流和越南北方降水的关系不显著。另外，夏季赤道印度洋西风与越南夏秋季降水的相关与索马里气流类似，表明索马里越赤道气流可能是通过改变纬向水汽输送来影响越南南方降水。     

Climate Variability-Observations, Reconstructions, and Model Simulations for the Atlantic-European and Alpine Region from 1500-2100 AD

A detailed analysis is undertaken of the Atlantic-European climate using data from 500-year-long proxy-based climate reconstructions, a long climate simulation with perpetual 1990 forcing, as well as two global and one regional climate change scenarios. The observed and simulated interannual variability and teleconnectivity are compared and interpreted in order to improve the understanding of natural climate variability on interannual to decadal time scales for the late Holocene. The focus is set on the Atlantic-European and Alpine regions during the winter and summer seasons, using temperature, precipitation, and 500 hPa geopotential height fields. The climate reconstruction shows pronounced interdecadal variations that appear to “lock” the atmospheric circulation in quasi-steady long-term patterns over multi-decadal periods controlling at least part of the temperature and precipitation variability. Different circulation patterns are persistent over several decades for the period 1500 to 1900. The 500-year-long simulation with perpetual 1990 forcing shows some substantial differences, with a more unsteady teleconnectivity behaviour. Two global scenario simulations indicate a transition towards more stable teleconnectivity for the next 100 years. Time series of reconstructed and simulated temperature and precipitation over the Alpine region show comparatively small changes in interannual variability within the time frame considered, with the exception of the summer season, where a substantial increase in interannual variability is simulated by regional climate models.     

A scenario of European climate change for the late twenty-first century: seasonal means and interannual variability

A scenario of European climate change for the late twenty-first century is described, using a high-resolution state-of-the-art model. A time-slice approach is used, whereby the atmospheric general circulation model, HadAM3P, was integrated for two periods, 1960–1990 and 2070–2100, using the SRES A2 scenario. For the first time an ensemble of such experiments was produced, along with appropriate statistical tests for assessing significance. The focus is on changes to the statistics of seasonal means, and includes analysis of both multi-year means and interannual variance. All four seasons are assessed, and anomalies are mapped for surface air temperature, precipitation and snow mass. Mechanisms are proposed where these are dominated by straightforward local processes. In winter, the largest warming occurs over eastern Europe, up to 7°C, mean snow mass is reduced by at least 80% except over Scandinavia, and precipitation increases over all but the southernmost parts of Europe. In summer, temperatures rise by 6–9°C south of about 50°N, and mean rainfall is substantially reduced over the same area. In spring and autumn, anomalies tend to be weaker, but often display patterns similar to the preceding season, reflecting the inertia of the land surface component of the climate system. Changes in interannual variance are substantial in the solsticial seasons for many regions (note that for precipitation, variance estimates are scaled by the square of the mean). In winter, interannual variability of near-surface air temperature is considerably reduced over much of Europe, and the relative variability of precipitation is reduced north of about 50°N. In summer, the (relative) interannual variance of both variables increases over much of the continent.