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Spatial patterns of climatological temperature lapse rate in mainland China: A multi–time scale investigation
Author(s) -
Li Yue,
Zeng Zhenzhong,
Zhao Lin,
Piao Shilong
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: atmospheres
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-8996
pISSN - 2169-897X
DOI - 10.1002/2014jd022978
Subject(s) - lapse rate , plateau (mathematics) , climatology , environmental science , atmospheric sciences , seasonality , local time , spatial ecology , mean radiant temperature , precipitation , physical geography , mainland china , china , geography , climate change , geology , meteorology , ecology , mathematics , biology , statistics , archaeology , mathematical analysis
Quantitative evaluation of how mountain ecosystems respond to climate change requires accurate estimates of temperature at high elevations. One approach to estimating highland temperature is to extrapolate temperatures from low elevations based on previous observations of the environmental temperature lapse rate ( γ local ). However, our understanding of γ local is still very limited. Here we use daily mean, maximum, and minimum temperature ( T mean , T max , and T min ) data from 523 meteorological stations in mainland China to estimate the spatiotemporal patterns of the climatological γ local ( γ local ( T mean ), γ local ( T max ), and γ local ( T min )). The patterns of all γ local display (1) a significant ( P < 0.05) spatial difference between southern China (4 to 6 K km −1 ) and northern China (including the Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau, >6 K km −1 ) and (2) a distinct seasonal variation, with higher γ local occurring in summer and lower in winter (except for the Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau where the seasonality is reversed). In addition, the seasonal amplitude of γ local ( T max ) exceeds that of γ local ( T min ). Physically, γ local ( T max ) is significantly influenced by cloud cover (partial correlation coefficients: R = −0.25, P < 0.001) and regulated by precipitation, with γ local ( T max ) increasing with T max in humid regions while decreasing in drier regions. At night, the spatial pattern of γ local ( T min ) is determined by T min ( R = −0.51, P < 0.001) due to temperature control on the saturated adiabatic lapse rate. Our results demonstrate that the magnitude of γ local obviously differs in regional distributions and seasonal variations and may be a result of the interactions among the climatic factors. To improve the accuracy of the extrapolation method requires spatial patterns of γ local rather than just a constant universal value.