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Spatiotemporal variations of temperature and precipitation extremes in the Poyang Lake basin, China

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Abstract

Daily temperature and precipitation data from 15 rain gauges covering a period of 1957–2011 were analyzed using the Mann-Kendall trend test with the aim to investigate changing characteristics of weather extremes in the Poyang Lake basin, the largest freshwater lake in China. Also, the connection between El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and precipitation extremes is analyzed and possible causes for the connection are briefly discussed. Results indicate that (1) warming, characterized by a decreasing trend in frost days and a significant decrease of temperature extremes defined by lower temperature, in the Poyang Lake basin is observed. Temperature extremes, defined by higher temperature indices such as hot days, exhibit moderate changes with no significant trends. Moreover, warming occurs mainly in the northern part of the Poyang Lake basin; (2) precipitation changes are intensifying as reflected by increasing precipitation extremes. However, these changes are different from 1 month to another and the intensification is found mainly in winter and/or summer months; (3) the influence of ENSO on precipitation changes in the Poyang Lake basin is evident with a time lag of longer than 3 months. This should be due to the fact that higher sea surface temperature tends to trigger the occurrence of convective precipitation regimes. Results of this study are important for modeling the occurrence of precipitation extremes in a changing climate and regional climatic responses to global climate changes.

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Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by the National Science Foundation for Distinguished Young Scholars of China (Grant No. 51425903), the Opening Fund of Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Wetland and Watershed Research (Jiangxi Normal University), and Ministry of Education (Grant No. ZK2013006) and was fully supported by a grant from the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (Project No. CUHK441313). Our cordial gratitude should be extended to the editor, Prof. Dr. Hartmut Graßl, and an anonymous reviewer for their professional and pertinent comments and suggestions which are greatly helpful for further improvement of the quality of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Water Resources and Environment, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China

    Qiang Zhang & Mingzhong Xiao

  2. Key Laboratory of Water Cycle and Water Security in Southern China of Guangdong High Education Institute, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China

    Qiang Zhang & Mingzhong Xiao

  3. Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Wetland and Watershed Research (Jiangxi Normal University), Ministry of Education, Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, 330006, China

    Qiang Zhang, Mingzhong Xiao & Yeqiao Wang

  4. Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Zachry Department of Civil Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA

    Vijay P. Singh

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  1. Qiang Zhang
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  2. Mingzhong Xiao
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  3. Vijay P. Singh
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  4. Yeqiao Wang
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Correspondence to Qiang Zhang.

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Zhang, Q., Xiao, M., Singh, V.P. et al. Spatiotemporal variations of temperature and precipitation extremes in the Poyang Lake basin, China. Theor Appl Climatol 124, 855–864 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-015-1470-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-015-1470-6

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