Mutation Characteristics of Precipitation Concentration Spatiotemporal Variation and Its Potential Correlation with Low-Frequency Climate Factors in the LRB Area from 1960 to 2020

Abstract

The precipitation conce ntration degree (PCD) and precipitation concentration period (PCP) in the Liaohe River basin (LRB) from 1960 to 2020 were calculated depending on the daily precipitation data derived from meteorological stations. The mutations of the PCD and PCP were identified by sliding t-test, and spatiotemporal evolution characteristics before and after the mutation point were further analyzed. Cross wavelet transform (CWT) was used to reveal the influence of four low-frequency climate factors (Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), Arctic Oscillation (AO), El Niño -Southern Oscillation (ENSO), and Sunspots (SS)) on precipitation concentration. The results were presented as follows: Mutations occurred in the PCD sequence in 1980 and the PCP sequence in 2005 in the LRB. Spatial distribution of the PCD generally increased from the southeast to the northwest and tended to flatten. Over the past 60 years, the annual PCD tended to decrease, with a variation range of 0.53 to 0.80. The PCP was relatively concentrated in early July to early August, decreasing before and increasing after the mutation. Important climatic factors driving the mutation of PCD included PDO, SS, and AO. However, the resonance between climate factors and the PCD was characterized by complexity and diversity. The PCP was mainly affected by AO and SS before the mutation. ENSO had an important influence on both PCD and PCP, but had no significant correlation with mutation occurrence.

Keywords

• the Liaohe River basin
• precipitation concentration degree
• precipitation concentration period
• mutation characteristics
• climate factors