Impacts of anthropogenic climate change on meteorological drought in China

作者：Ran Dai, Jinlong Huang, Ziyan Chen, Jian Zhou, Peni Hausia Havea · 发表于：Frontiers in Earth Science · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.3389/feart.2024.1369523 · 被引用次数：8 · 研究领域：Hydrology and Drought Analysis、Climate variability and models、Climate change impacts on agriculture

Drought, being one of the most devastating natural disasters, has a far-reaching impact. In the context of global warming, it becomes crucial to quantitatively and scientifically assess the effects of anthropogenic climate change on meteorological drought in China. This assessment not only enhances our understanding of anthropogenic climate change but also aids in formulating more effective strategies for managing the risks associated with meteorological drought. This study employs the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) to compute drought events by utilizing both observational data and counterfactual climate data (i.e., detrended observations). Subsequently, it analyzes the impact of anthropogenic climate change on the characteristics of drought, including frequency, intensity, duration, and affected area, in China as well as nine major river basins from 1960 to 2019. The outcomes of the analysis reveal that based on observational data, there is a discernible upward trend in the frequency, intensity, duration, and affected area of meteorological droughts in China. Notably, the regions experiencing an increase in frequency, intensity, and duration are primarily situated in the northeastern part of the Northwestern Rivers basin, the central and western parts of the Yellow River basin, the central and northern parts of the Yangtze River basin, the western part of the Southeastern River basins, and the eastern part of the Pearl River basin. Conversely, whe...