An interdecadal shift in the number of hot nights around 1997 over Eastern China. (3rd August 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Chen, Sisi; Zhang, Jingyong; Huang, Gang
• Is Part Of: Atmospheric science letters. Volume 17:Number 9(2016)
• Page Start: 501
• Page End: 509
• Publication Date: 2016-08-03
• Subjects: temperature extreme -- nighttime -- eastern China -- interdecadal variation; Atmospheric physics -- Periodicals; 551
• DOI: 10.1002/asl.684
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1530-261X

Abstract

Abstract: In this study, we investigate the interdecadal variation in summer nighttime hot extremes over eastern China using observational daily minimum temperature during 1979–2013. Results show a statistically significant shift in the number of hot nights (NHN) around 1997 with averaged NHN over eastern China of 6 days more during 1997–2013 than 1979–1996. The time series of the first leading Empirical Orthogonal Function mode of the NHN is closely related with sea surface temperature anomalies over the tropical western pacific warm pool, Pacific Decadal Oscillation and Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, which all experienced substantial interdecadal changes in the late 1990s. Other factors such as the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effects may also contribute to the interdecadal change of the NHN around 1997.