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Deciphering the capricious precipitation response: irrigation impact in the North China Plain

Journal Article · · npj Climate and Atmospheric Science
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [1]
  1. Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) (Hong Kong)
  2. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
  3. National Taiwan Univ., Taipei (Taiwan)
  4. National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Wanju‑gun, Jeollabuk‑do (Korea, Republic of)
+ Show Author Affiliations
Intensive irrigation in the North China Plain (NCP) raises environmental concerns, yet its climate impacts remain inconsistent among current modeling studies. These inconsistencies may arise from deficiencies in existing models. To better capture irrigation impact, we employed a recently improved irrigation model tailored for the NCP, which significantly enhances simulations of crop growth and irrigation application. Results reveal that irrigation exerts competing effects on precipitation: enhancing it in May and June by increasing rainfall frequency and intensity, while suppressing it in July and August by reducing intensity. Spatial precipitation changes correlate with upper-tropospheric humidity, while inter-annual changes link to geopotential height and wind anomalies. This suggests that irrigation-induced surface cooling and moisturizing modulate atmospheric thermodynamic and dynamic structures, influencing convective precipitation unevenly across regions and time, leading to complex precipitation changes. These findings highlight the complexity of irrigation impacts and emphasize the need for improved land representation in climate models.
Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration, Republic of Korea; Research Grants Council (RGC) of Hong Kong; USDOE Office of Science (SC)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
2569734
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA--207191
Journal Information:
npj Climate and Atmospheric Science, Journal Name: npj Climate and Atmospheric Science Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 8; ISSN 2397-3722
Publisher:
Springer NatureCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Agriculture
Atmospheric dynamics
Climate and Earth system modelling