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Near‐Surface Warming Reduces Dew Frequency in China
Author(s) -
Dou Youjun,
Quan Jiang,
Jia Xingcan,
Wang Qianqian,
Liu Yangang
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2020gl091923
Subject(s) - dew , arid , environmental science , precipitation , relative humidity , dew point , atmospheric sciences , global warming , climate change , humidity , climatology , hydrology (agriculture) , meteorology , geography , geology , paleontology , oceanography , geotechnical engineering , condensation
Long‐term (1961–2010) observations of dew data collected at 597 stations over China show that dew frequency decreased by 5.2 days per decade due primarily to near‐surface warming and associated decreases in relative humidity (RH). Moreover, the percentage decreasing rate of dew frequency in arid regions (precipitation PR <400 mm yr −1 ) are larger than that in humid regions (PR ≥800 mm yr −1 ). Compared with the 1960s, the mean dew frequency in the 2000s decreased by 28%, 40%, 50% in humid, semihumid (400 ≤ PR < 800 mm yr −1 ), and arid regions, respectively. Surface warming is larger in arid regions in northwestern China than its humid and semihumid regions during recent global warming, which leads to larger decreases in surface RH and makes dew events less likely. Since dew contributes significantly to surface water balance in arid regions, the large decreases in dew frequency may contribute to “the drier getting drier” response to global warming over arid regions.