Spatial and Temporal Variations of Potential Evapotranspiration in the Loess Plateau of China During 1960–2017

Congjian Sun, Zhenjing Zheng, Wei Chen and Yuyang Wang
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Congjian Sun: School of Geographical Science, Shanxi Normal University, Linfen 041000, China
Zhenjing Zheng: School of Geographical Science, Shanxi Normal University, Linfen 041000, China
Wei Chen: School of Geographical Science, Shanxi Normal University, Linfen 041000, China
Yuyang Wang: Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-15

Abstract: Potential evapotranspiration (ET 0 ) is an integral component of the hydrological cycle and the global energy balance, and its long-term variation is of much concern in climate change studies. The Loess Plateau is an important area of agricultural civilization and water resources research. This study analyzed the spatial and temporal evolution processes and influential parameters of ET 0 at 70 stations in different topographical areas of the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP). Using the Mann–Kendall trend, Cross wavelet transform, and the ArcGIS platform, the ET 0 of each station was quantified using the Penman–Monteith equation, and the effects of climatic factors on ET 0 were assessed by analyzing the correlation coefficients and contribution rates of the climatic factors. The results showed that: (1) the overall trend of the ET 0 in different terrains of the Loess Plateau is consistent, however, the ET 0 values differ; the hill region (HR) has the highest ET 0 , followed by the valley region (VR), and the mountain region (MR) has the lowest, and ET 0 changes differ between seasons. (2) Spatial distribution characteristics of multiyear mean ET 0 in the study are as follows: the ET 0 values in mountain and hilly areas are decreasing from west to east, and the higher mean annual ET 0 value in the VR is mainly concentrated in the eastern CLP. (3) In the past 58 years, the annual mean and the seasonal ET 0 of the region showed increasing trends, however, differences in different terrains were obvious. (4) ET 0 has significant correlations with El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Pacific–North American teleconnection (PNA), and Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO). The resonance period of ET 0 and ENSO was 3–6 a, mainly in 1976–1985. The mean coherence phase angle was close to 360°, indicating that ET 0 lags behind PNA by approximately 2–6 a; ET 0 has a very strong positive correlation with AMO. (5) Relative humidity (RH) is the main influencing factor of ET 0 change in the Loess Plateau. Temperature (T) variation has the highest contribution rate (42%) to the regional ET 0 variation in the entire CLP. We should pay more attention to the variation of evaporation under future climate change, especially temperature change.

Keywords: potential evapotranspiration; Penman–Monteith model; temporal–spatial distribution; controlling parameters; Loess Plateau (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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