A new study finds that human-caused climate change and large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns have contributed to an increase in extreme cold winter weather in China.
A new study finds that human-caused climate change and large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns have contributed to an increase in extreme cold winter weather in China. The study, published in Climate Dynamics, analyzed 60 years of data and found that since 2008, eastern China has experienced colder temperatures during the coldest periods of winter compared to previous decades.
The study was led by ZHAO Liang and XIAO Ziniu of the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with DING Yihui of China's National Climate Centre and SHEN Xinyong of Nanjing University. They found that colder winters were linked to more frequent simultaneous atmospheric blocking highs over the Ural Mountains of Russia and the North Pacific. These systems worked together to strengthen high pressure at higher latitudes, blocking the eastward movement of weather systems and prolonging cold spells.
While winter temperatures in China have warmed overall with climate change, the study found that intense high-pressure systems can temporarily override this effect, more than doubling the probability of extreme cold events. Ural highs mainly influenced the intensity of the cold, while North Pacific highs affected duration.
Read more at: Chinese Academy of Sciences - Institute of Atmospheric Physics
