A contrasting study of freezing disasters in January 2008 and in winter of 1954/1955 in China |
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Authors: | Yihui Ding Xiaolong Jia Zunya Wang Xianyan Chen and Lijuan Chen |
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Institution: | (1) National Climate Center, China Meteorological Administration (CMA), Beijing, 100081, China |
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Abstract: | The present paper has made a comparison of major similarities and differences of extreme cold events between the cold and
warm periods for recent 50 years, in order to gain a better insight into the impact of the global warming on extreme cold
events in China. Two typical events of low temperature, ice freezing and snow disasters that occurred in January 2008 and
in the winter of 1954/1955, respectively, are selected as representative cases for the cold period (1950’s–1970’s) and the
warm period (1980’s-present). The contrasting study has revealed that these two events both occurred under long-persistent
blocking circulation over Eurasian continent, with continuous invasions of strong cold air into China mainland. They nearly
brought about similar weather disasters such as extensive low temperature, record-breaking freezing rains and exceptionally
heavy snowfalls. However, due to active northward transport of warm and moist air from Bay of Bengal and Indo-China Peninsula
in the warm period, the January 2008 case had longer freezing rain days and heavier snowstorms in South China, thus leading
to much more severe damage to electric grids and transportations. The case of the 1954/1955 winter was a stronger, extreme
cold event than the case of January 2008, in terms of magnitudes of temperature drop and severity of impact on river icing.
It was gradually recovered to normal condition while the case of January 2008 had a very rapid recovery to warming condition
due to impact of the global warming. |
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Keywords: | global warming cold period (1950’ s– 1970’ s) and warm period (1980’ s-present) cold air activity freezing rains |
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