Open AccessLong‐term change of total cloud cover and its possible reason over South China during 1960–2012
Author(s) -
Fu Chuanbo,
Dan Li,
Lin Xiaobin,
Yang Fuqiang
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
atmospheric science letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.951
H-Index - 45
ISSN - 1530-261X
DOI - 10.1002/asl.943
Subject(s) - cloud cover , climatology , environmental science , china , context (archaeology) , relative humidity , troposphere , global warming , term (time) , atmospheric sciences , climate change , geography , meteorology , cloud computing , geology , political science , oceanography , physics , archaeology , quantum mechanics , law
Long‐term trend of total cloud cover (TCC) had been studied based on 51 meteorological stations across South China during the period 1960–2012. TCC reduction mainly happened over the past 53 years, and the value of climatic trend rate (CTR) averaged in all stations was − 0.625%·10a −1 . The primary cause of the significant reduction of TCC was the temperature (LT) and relative humidity (LRH) in the low troposphere in the context of global warming. Correlation coefficients between TCC and LRH in annual and seasonal mean had all passed 99% significance test, and strong positive correlations indicate that LRH plays a much more important role in the change of TCC in South China.