Spatiotemporal characteristics of droughts and floods in northeastern China and their impacts on agriculture

Heilongjiang Province is a major grain production base in China, and its agricultural development plays an important role in China’s social economy. Drought and flood events are the primary disasters in Heilongjiang Province and have considerable impacts on agriculture. In this study, relatively complete monthly precipitation data from 26 meteorological stations in Heilongjiang Province during the period of 1958–2013 were analyzed using the standardized precipitation index (SPI) combined with principal component analysis, Mann–Kendall trend analysis and Morlet wavelet analysis to determine the spatial and temporal distributions of drought and flood events in this province. The results were as follows: (1) the whole of Heilongjiang exhibited an aridity trend. In northern Heilongjiang, spring and summer experienced a wetting trend, and autumn and winter experienced an aridity trend. (2) The SPI3 exhibited 8- and 16-year periodic variation characteristics in spring, 10- and 22-year periodic variation characteristics in summer, and 10- and 32-year periodic variation characteristics in autumn. In addition to the 10-year periodic variation characteristics in winter, other periodic variation characteristics were observed. (3) The increasing trend in the percentage of stations affected by flood was more obvious than that affected by drought. Therefore, Heilongjiang Province is more vulnerable to flooding. (4) The influence of drought and flood disasters in Heilongjiang Province showed a growth trend, but the flood effect was more remarkable. (5) The agricultural area affected by drought and flood disasters in Heilongjiang Province showed an increasing trend. Although there was a greater increase in flood disaster area, the main types of disasters were drought-dominated.