Observed trend of diurnal temperature range in the Tibetan Plateau in recent decades

Abstract

Spatial and temporal variabilities of long-term (1961-2013) diurnal temperature range (DTR) are examined in the Tibetan Plateau (TP) based on the 71 observational stations. The relative regional contributions to DTR in the TP are studied among maximum temperature, minimum temperature, total cloud cover (TCC), and atmospheric teleconnections. The regional annual mean DTR (average of the 71 stations) is 14.17 ∘ C, with a clear maximum in winter (16.35 ∘ C) and minimum in summer (12.62 ∘ C). During 1961-2013, the DTR in the TP declines before the 1980s and shows mute change afterwards, with an annual rate of −0.20 ∘ C decade −1 calculated by the Mann-Kendall method. The trend in DTR is primarily a consequence of greater warming in minimum temperature than maximum temperature. In summer, there are significant negative correlations between the TCC and DTR in the TP, suggesting that the decreases in the DTR are associated with variations of TCC in the region. The atmospheric circulation composite analysis between strongly positive and negative DTR in summer in the TP reveals that during the low DTR period the TP has more water vapour flux, stronger temperature advection, and strengthened southerly wind. This suggests that the atmospheric circulations have contributed to the trends in the DTR, but it is difficult to account for the specific contributions. Further investigations of the impact of global warming on the DTR in the TP are still required.

Review on climate change on the Tibetan Plateau during the last half century

“…The warming rate of minimum temperature is higher than that of maximum temperature and mean temperature [ Duan et al , ; Liu et al , ; Yang et al , ; Rangwala et al , ; Li et al , ; Xie et al , ; Yin et al , ; Hu et al , ; Liu et al , ; You et al , , ]. A significant increase of the minimum temperature was found on the TP [ Liu et al , ; You et al , ; Liu et al , ; Li et al , ; Xie et al , ; Hu et al , ].…”

“…The regional annual mean diurnal temperature range (average of 71 stations) on the TP is 14.17°C, with a maximum in winter as 16.35°C and a minimum in summer as 12.62°C [ You et al , ]. The diurnal temperature range on the TP has been shown to decrease with time [ Duan and Wu , ; Duan et al , ; You et al , ; Xie et al , ; You et al , ; Hu et al , ; Cuo et al , ; You et al , ]. The decreasing trend in diurnal temperature range is primarily a result of higher warming rate in minimum temperature than maximum temperature [ You et al , ].…”

“…The diurnal temperature range on the TP has been shown to decrease with time [ Duan and Wu , ; Duan et al , ; You et al , ; Xie et al , ; You et al , ; Hu et al , ; Cuo et al , ; You et al , ]. The decreasing trend in diurnal temperature range is primarily a result of higher warming rate in minimum temperature than maximum temperature [ You et al , ]. The diurnal temperature range on the TP decreased at an annual rate of −0.20°C decade −1 during 1961–2013 [ You et al , ].…”

“…The decreasing trend in diurnal temperature range is primarily a result of higher warming rate in minimum temperature than maximum temperature [ You et al , ]. The diurnal temperature range on the TP decreased at an annual rate of −0.20°C decade −1 during 1961–2013 [ You et al , ]. A decreasing trend of −0.10 to −0.20°C decade −1 was found in the eastern and central TP [ Duan and Wu , ; Duan et al , ; You et al , ; Cuo et al , ; You et al , ].…”

Detecting hydrological consistency between soil moisture and precipitation and changes of soil moisture in summer over the Tibetan Plateau

“…With the global warming, the warming on the TP is more rapidly and larger than its surrounding regions and the warming rate of the TP is even 1.5 times of that of the global warming, showing that the TP is also an indicator and amplifier of the global warming (Kuang and Jiao 2016;Liu and Chen 2000;You et al 2016a;Zhang et al 2013). Under the rapid warming circumstances, most regions of the TP have been experiencing wetting in the last three decades (Yin et al 2016).…”