<p>Extreme events seriously affect human health and natural environment. In the present study, several indexes that can describe the severity of compound extreme high temperature and drought/rainy events (CHTDE/CHTRE) are constructed based on copulas. According to observations, CHTDE and CHTRE have intensified in most areas of China during 1961–2014. The significant increase trend in the severity of CHTDE and CHTRE is basically consistent with simulations under historical anthropogenic forcing. This result proves that changes in CHTDE can be largely attributed to anthropogenic climate change. The historical greenhouse gas forcing is identified to be the dominant factor that affects the severity of CHTDE in China, particularly in the Tibetan Plateau and Northwest China. Moreover, the contribution of anthropogenic forcing to the linear change of the CHTRE severity in China is more than 90%. In addition, the ozone and land use signals also can be detected on change of CHTDE and CHTRE.</p>

Extreme events seriously affect human health and natural environment. In the present study, several indexes that can describe the severity of compound extreme high temperature and drought/rainy events (CHTDE/CHTRE) are constructed based on copulas. According to observations, CHTDE and CHTRE have intensified in most areas of China during 1961–2014. The significant increase trend in the severity of CHTDE and CHTRE is basically consistent with simulations under historical anthropogenic forcing. This result proves that changes in CHTDE can be largely attributed to anthropogenic climate change. The historical greenhouse gas forcing is identified to be the dominant factor that affects the severity of CHTDE in China, particularly in the Tibetan Plateau and Northwest China. Moreover, the contribution of anthropogenic forcing to the linear change of the CHTRE severity in China is more than 90%. In addition, the ozone and land use signals also can be detected on change of CHTDE and CHTRE.