New study discloses key factor for recent wetting trend in NW China

LANZHOU, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- A new study has disclosed that the abnormal warming of the tropical Indian Ocean is probably a key factor for the recent wetting trend in northwest China, according to Lanzhou University.

Investigating and understanding the long-term natural precipitation variability in northwest China provides insights into the recent wetting trend in this drought-plagued region, said Li Guoqiang, a professor at the College of Earth and Environmental Sciences of Lanzhou University.

Featuring a very arid climate, northwest China has received a persistent increasing trend of precipitation during the recent decades, which enhances the flood frequency and strength in this region. It is important to trace the key to this wetting trend.

Researchers from Lanzhou University and Nanjing University jointly carried out the study by examining the effects of ocean feedback on the response of precipitation variations in northwest China to mid-Holocene and recent climate forcings based on sensitivity climate simulations.

They used a fully coupled atmosphere-ocean general circulation model and a single atmosphere general circulation model in this study and explored the mechanisms of multiple time-scale precipitation variations of the region.

The study results showed that the tropical Indian Ocean warming plays an important role in the mid-Holocene and recent precipitation variations in northwest China.

The study results have been published in the journal Quaternary Science Reviews.