Spatial-Temporal Characteristics of Regional Extreme Low Temperature Events in China during 1960–2009

An objective identification technique is used to detect regional extreme low temperature events (RELTE) in China during 1960–2009. Their spatial-temporal characteristics are analyzed. The results indicate that the lowest temperatures of RELTE, together with the frequency distribution of the geometric latitude center, exhibit a double-peak feature. The RELTE frequently happen near the geometric area of 30°N and 42°N before the mid-1980s, but shifted afterwards to 30°N. During 1960–2009, the frequency, intensity, and the maximum impacted area of RELTE show overall decreasing trends. Due to the contribution of RELTE, with long duration and large spatial range, which account for 10% of the total RELTE, there is a significant turning point in the late 1980s. A change to a much more steady state after the late 1990s is identified. In addition, the integrated indices of RELTE are classified and analyzed.CitationWang, X.-J., Z.-Q. Gong, F.-M. Ren, et al., 2012: Spatial-temporal characteristics of regional extreme low temperature events in China during 1960–2009. Adv. Clim. Change Res.,3(4), doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1248.2012.00186.