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Contribution of urbanization to the increase of extreme heat events in an urban agglomeration in east China

Journal Article · · Geophysical Research Letters
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL074084· OSTI ID:1390366
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [2];  [1];  [5];  [6]
  1. Institute of Island and Coastal Ecosystems, Ocean College Zhejiang University Zhoushan China
  2. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Richland Washington USA
  3. Department of Geosciences Texas Tech University Lubbock Texas USA
  4. School of Earth and Space Sciences University of Science and Technology of China Hefei China
  5. School of Geography and Planning Sun Yat‐sen University Guangzhou China
  6. Shanghai Typhoon Institute of China Meteorological Administration Shanghai China
Abstract

The urban agglomeration of Yangtze River Delta (YRD) is emblematic of China's rapid urbanization during the past decades. Based on homogenized daily maximum and minimum temperature data, the contributions of urbanization to trends of summer extreme temperature indices (ETIs) in YRD are evaluated. Dynamically classifying the observational stations into urban and rural, this study presents unexplored changes in temperature extremes during the past four decades in YRD and quantifies the amplification of the positive trends in ETIs by the urban heat island effect. Overall, urbanization contributes to more than one third of the increase of intensity of extreme heat events in the region, which is comparable to the contribution of greenhouse gases. Compared to rural stations, more notable shifts to the right in the probability distribution of temperature and ETIs are found in urban stations. The rapid urbanization in YRD has resulted in large increases in the risk of heat extremes.

Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
OSTI ID:
1390366
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1373848
Journal Information:
Geophysical Research Letters, Journal Name: Geophysical Research Letters Journal Issue: 13 Vol. 44; ISSN 0094-8276
Publisher:
American Geophysical Union (AGU)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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