Compilation of China's climate regionalization for the past 30 years completed, impacts of shifts in climate patterns emerge
Recently, the public welfare industry (meteorological) scientific research special project "Compilation of China's Climate Atlas and Climate Regionalization Research for the Most Recent 30 Years" passed acceptance. Focusing on the urgent need for a new type of climate regionalization in China's climate research and operational work, and addressing the changes that have occurred in China's regional climate distribution pattern against the background of climate change,
Recently, the public welfare industry (meteorological) scientific research special project “Compilation of China's Climate Atlas and Climate Regionalization Research for the Most Recent 30 Years” passed acceptance. Focusing on the urgent need for a new type of climate regionalization in China's climate research and operational work, and addressing the changes that have occurred in China's regional climate distribution pattern against the background of climate change, the project carried out research on China's climate regionalization for the past 30 years. According to Liao Yaoming, the project leader and a senior engineer in the Climate and Climate Change Assessment Office of the National Climate Center, the project established a dataset of China's climate standard values from 1981 to 2010, compiled China's climate regionalization and agricultural climate maps for the most recent 30 years, wrote the compilation plan for the "1981-2010 China Climate Atlas," and pointed out that the national first-level climate regionalization indicators underwent obvious changes around 1997.
The research team first studied and formulated the statistical compilation items, methods and plans for surface climate data for the most recent 30 years, developed statistical software that is easy to use, has expansion functions, is highly applicable, and strictly calculates according to statistical methods, processed the preprocessed climate data, and ultimately established a dataset of climate standard values from 1981 to 2010. On the basis of investigating climate regionalization work at home and abroad, the research team proposed a three-level climate regionalization scheme using temperature zones, dry-wet regions and climate regions, and used daily observation data from 756 observation stations from 1961 to 2010 to analyze the change trends and interdecadal characteristics of indicators at all levels over the past 50 years; it also studied the application of three cluster analysis methods - the rapid sample clustering method, the hierarchical clustering method and the clustering statistical test method - in research on China's climate temperature regionalization. The research team systematically summarized the research progress of China's climate regionalization from the aspects of indicators, principles and methods, and further improved the three-level climate regionalization indicators and their division standards applicable to China's current climate conditions.
Based on the improved climate regionalization indicators and the established dataset of China's climate standard values from 1981 to 2010, the research team completed the production of the latest simplified maps of China's climate regionalization and agricultural climate regionalization. Among them, the "1981-2010 China Climate Regionalization Map" divides China into 12 temperature zones, 24 dry-wet regions and 56 climate regions, while the "1981-2010 China Agricultural Climate Regionalization Simplified Map" divides China into 3 major agricultural climate regions, 14 agricultural climate zones and 49 agricultural climate regions. The latest simplified maps of China's climate regionalization and agricultural climate regionalization provide the latest scientific basis for China's agricultural layout and industrial structure adjustment. The reporter learned that the "1981-2010 China Climate Regionalization Map" has already played a very good guiding role in agricultural structure adjustment and industrial layout in Liaoning Province and other places, and has been affirmed by leaders of Liaoning Province.
On this basis, combined with the latest climate operational needs of the China Meteorological Administration and relevant scientific research results at home and abroad, the research team also wrote the compilation plan for the "1981-2010 China Climate Atlas," added indicators on extreme climate events, industry climate impacts and climate change, and compiled the "1981-2010 China Climate Atlas" (abridged edition). These latest climate statistical charts have all been integrated into the climate change response engineering project “Climate Change Impact Assessment and Service System” and have played a good role in climate assessment operational services, with some results also applied in the compilation of the "China Disastrous Weather and Climate Atlas" and "China's Climate."
In addition, based on daily climate data from 1951 to 2010, the project research team also analyzed the spatiotemporal variation patterns of climate variables such as extreme precipitation, drought days, extreme temperatures and maximum wind speed across China, as well as the variation patterns of various climate standard values. Liao Yaoming particularly pointed out that the national average number of days with accumulated temperature greater than or equal to 10°C and the accumulated temperature increased significantly after 1997; in eastern China, all dividing lines moved northward to varying degrees, especially with the northern boundary of the mid-subtropical zone moving northward noticeably; the areas of the cold temperate zone and the middle temperate zone decreased, while the areas of the warm temperate zone, northern subtropical zone, middle temperate zone, southern subtropical zone and tropical zone increased. This change in the climate regionalization pattern will bring multifaceted impacts on China's agricultural production and cropping systems. Against the background of global warming, the northern cultivation boundaries of the three major grain crops - wheat, rice and corn - have continued to move northward, large areas in the Heilongjiang region have expanded rice cultivation, and all localities need to adapt to local conditions according to changes in climate resources and adjust and formulate scientific and reliable crop planting systems.
The research team first studied and formulated the statistical compilation items, methods and plans for surface climate data for the most recent 30 years, developed statistical software that is easy to use, has expansion functions, is highly applicable, and strictly calculates according to statistical methods, processed the preprocessed climate data, and ultimately established a dataset of climate standard values from 1981 to 2010. On the basis of investigating climate regionalization work at home and abroad, the research team proposed a three-level climate regionalization scheme using temperature zones, dry-wet regions and climate regions, and used daily observation data from 756 observation stations from 1961 to 2010 to analyze the change trends and interdecadal characteristics of indicators at all levels over the past 50 years; it also studied the application of three cluster analysis methods - the rapid sample clustering method, the hierarchical clustering method and the clustering statistical test method - in research on China's climate temperature regionalization. The research team systematically summarized the research progress of China's climate regionalization from the aspects of indicators, principles and methods, and further improved the three-level climate regionalization indicators and their division standards applicable to China's current climate conditions.
Based on the improved climate regionalization indicators and the established dataset of China's climate standard values from 1981 to 2010, the research team completed the production of the latest simplified maps of China's climate regionalization and agricultural climate regionalization. Among them, the "1981-2010 China Climate Regionalization Map" divides China into 12 temperature zones, 24 dry-wet regions and 56 climate regions, while the "1981-2010 China Agricultural Climate Regionalization Simplified Map" divides China into 3 major agricultural climate regions, 14 agricultural climate zones and 49 agricultural climate regions. The latest simplified maps of China's climate regionalization and agricultural climate regionalization provide the latest scientific basis for China's agricultural layout and industrial structure adjustment. The reporter learned that the "1981-2010 China Climate Regionalization Map" has already played a very good guiding role in agricultural structure adjustment and industrial layout in Liaoning Province and other places, and has been affirmed by leaders of Liaoning Province.
On this basis, combined with the latest climate operational needs of the China Meteorological Administration and relevant scientific research results at home and abroad, the research team also wrote the compilation plan for the "1981-2010 China Climate Atlas," added indicators on extreme climate events, industry climate impacts and climate change, and compiled the "1981-2010 China Climate Atlas" (abridged edition). These latest climate statistical charts have all been integrated into the climate change response engineering project “Climate Change Impact Assessment and Service System” and have played a good role in climate assessment operational services, with some results also applied in the compilation of the "China Disastrous Weather and Climate Atlas" and "China's Climate."
In addition, based on daily climate data from 1951 to 2010, the project research team also analyzed the spatiotemporal variation patterns of climate variables such as extreme precipitation, drought days, extreme temperatures and maximum wind speed across China, as well as the variation patterns of various climate standard values. Liao Yaoming particularly pointed out that the national average number of days with accumulated temperature greater than or equal to 10°C and the accumulated temperature increased significantly after 1997; in eastern China, all dividing lines moved northward to varying degrees, especially with the northern boundary of the mid-subtropical zone moving northward noticeably; the areas of the cold temperate zone and the middle temperate zone decreased, while the areas of the warm temperate zone, northern subtropical zone, middle temperate zone, southern subtropical zone and tropical zone increased. This change in the climate regionalization pattern will bring multifaceted impacts on China's agricultural production and cropping systems. Against the background of global warming, the northern cultivation boundaries of the three major grain crops - wheat, rice and corn - have continued to move northward, large areas in the Heilongjiang region have expanded rice cultivation, and all localities need to adapt to local conditions according to changes in climate resources and adjust and formulate scientific and reliable crop planting systems.