Temperature Change in the Himalayas from 1961 to 2020 Based on ERA5-Land Data
The Himalayas is sensitive to global climate change.Poor traffic accessibility in the Himalayas with unavailability in long-term field meteorological record in the region led to inadequacy in the scientific understanding of local climate change.Based on high-resolution ERA5-Land data,this study examined its applicability in the Himalayas and analyzed temp-spatial variation of local temperature from 1961 to 2020.(1)From 1961 to 2020,the overall temperature in the Himalayas increased at a rate of 0.13 ℃/10a,since 1990,the warming rate had increased significantly to 0.20 ℃/10a,with the most significant warming in autumn and winter.(2)Spatially,the temperature rise on the northern slope of the Himalayas was higher than that on the southern slope,and the temperature rise in the eastern section of the Himalayas was faster than that in the western section.Warming caused the annual average 0 ℃ isotherm to rise by 100 m.The seasonal fluctuation of the 0 ℃isotherm was distinct,with an increase of up to 161 m in autumn but only 70 m in spring.(3)The vertical variation of temperature in the Himalayas was elevation-dependent,with the peak warming area in the middle and eastern sections arranged at an altitude of 4000 to 5500 m,while the peak warming area in the western section at an altitude of 3000 to 4000 m.(4)From 1961 to 2020,the rapid reduction of snow cover area at the high-altitude sites in the Himalayas led to a decrease in surface albedo and an increase in surface absorption of solar radiation,forming a positive feedback process of temperature increasing-albedo decreasing-temperature further increasing,which was an important reason for the significant warming at high-altitudes.A comprehensive understanding of the temporal and spatial evolution of temperature in the high-altitude Himalayas is conducive to dealing with environmental problems caused by global warming and policy making.
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