Abstract
Daily precipitation data during the period of 1960 to 2005 from 147 rain gauging stations over the Yangtze River Basin are analyzed to investigate precipitation variations based on precipitation indices and also consecutive rainfall regimes in both space and time. Results indicate decreasing annual/monthly mean precipitation. Distinct decreases in rainfall days are observed over most parts of the Yangtze River Basin, but precipitation intensity is increasing over most parts of the Yangtze River Basin, particularly the lower Yangtze River Basin. Besides, durations of precipitation regimes are shortening; however, the fractional contribution of short-lasting precipitation regimes to the total precipitation amount is increasing. In this sense, the precipitation processes in the Yangtze River Basin are dominated by precipitation regimes of shorter durations. These results indicate intensified hydrological cycle reflected by shortening precipitation regimes. This finding is different from that in Europe where the intensifying precipitation changes are reflected mainly by lengthening precipitation regimes, implying different regional responses of hydrological cycle to climate changes. The results of this study will be of considerable relevance in basin-scale water resources management, human mitigation of natural hazards, and in understanding regional hydrological responses to changing climate at regional scales.
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Acknowledgments
The research is financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 41071020), the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University, and by the Geographical Modeling and Geocomputation Program under the Focused Investment Scheme (1902042) of The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Thanks should be owed to the National Climate Center of China for providing the meteorological data. Our cordial gratitude should be extended to the editor-in-chief, Prof. Dr. Hartmut Graßl, and the reviewers for their professional, pertinent comments and suggestions which are greatly helpful for further improvement of the quality of this paper.
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Zhang, Q., Peng, J., Xu, CY. et al. Spatiotemporal variations of precipitation regimes across Yangtze River Basin, China. Theor Appl Climatol 115, 703–712 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-013-0916-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-013-0916-y