Abstract
This study mainly presents the spatiotemporal characteristics and changes of near-surface wind speed with observations from 679 stations over China for 1979–2019. Furthermore, mechanisms of the wind speed changes are also investigated. Major results show that the larger near-surface wind speed mainly occur in northern and eastern regions, Tibetan Plateau and the coastal zones in China. The wind speed in spring is larger than the other seasons with mean value of 2.57 m s−1. Significantly decreased near-surface wind speed trend in China is detected during 1979–2019, particularly in 1979–1996. The mean rates of decrease in 1979–2019 and 1979–1996 are − 0.06 m s−1 (10a)−1 and − 0.19 m s−1 (10a)−1, respectively. The decreased trends of the high wind speed percentiles are more significant than the low, especially in 1979–1996. The change rate of the 95th wind speed percentile in 1979–1996 even reaches to − 0.48 m s−1 (10a)−1 and passes the significance test at p < 0.05. However, the wind speed trend reversed after 1997. The lowest 5th wind speed percentile has the most significant reversal trend. Therefore, the decreased wind speed trend before 1997 is mainly caused by the significant reduction of strong wind, while the reversal trend after 1997 results from weak wind. The variations of the wind speed over China attributed to both the U and V wind components. The significantly declined trend of the surface wind speed is closely related to the weakened upper westerly wind field. In addition, the uneven warming between high and low latitudes may also contribute to the surface wind speed changes through thermal adaption.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data availability
Wind speed data from station observations can be accessed at China Meteorological Administration (https://data.cma.cn/), and ERA-Interim Reanalysis was downloaded from ECMWF (https://www.ecmwf.int/en/forecasts/datasets/reanalysis-datasets/era-interim).
Code availability
Code is available on request.
References
Alexandersson H (1986) A homogeneity test applied to precipitation data. J Climatol 6:661–675. https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.3370060607
Azorin-molina C, Asin J, Mcvicar TR et al (2018) Evaluating anemometer drift : a statistical approach to correct biases in wind speed measurement. Atmos Res 203:175–188. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2017.12.010
Azorin-Molina C, Guijarro J-A, McVicar TR et al (2016) Trends of daily peak wind gusts in Spain and Portugal, 1961–2014. J Geophys Res Atmos 121:1059–1078
Azorin-Molina C, Guijarro JA, McVicar TR et al (2019) An approach to homogenize daily peak wind gusts: An application to the Australian series. Int J Climatol 39:2260–2277. https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.5949
Azorin-Molina C, Rehman S, Guijarro JA et al (2018) Recent trends in wind speed across Saudi Arabia, 1978–2013: a break in the stilling. Int J Climatol. https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.5423
Azorin-Molina C, Vicente-Serrano SM, Mcvicar TR et al (2014) Homogenization and assessment of observed near-surface wind speed trends over Spain and Portugal, 1961–2011. J Clim. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-13-00652.1
Bandyopadhyay A, Bhadra A, Raghuwanshi NS, Singh R (2009) Temporal trends in estimates of reference evapotranspiration over India. J Hydrol Eng. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)HE.1943-5584.0000006
Ben Y, Mei Y, Chen Y et al (2020) Inter- and intra-annual wind speed variabilities in wide valley regions of the middle reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo River, China. Sci Rep. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-69392-2
Birsan MV, Nita IA, Craciun A, et al (2020) Observed changes in mean and maximum monthly wind speed over Romania since ad 1961. Rom Reports Phys. 72(1):702. http://www.rrp.infim.ro/IP/AP431.pdf
Blunden J, Hartfield G, Arndt DS (2018) State of the climate in 2017. Bull Am Meteorol Soc. https://doi.org/10.1175/2018BAMSSTATEOFTHECLIMATE.1
Burton T, Sharpe D, Jenkind N, Bossanyi E (2001) Wind Energy Handbook
Chu R, Li M, Islam ARMT et al (2019) Attribution analysis of actual and potential evapotranspiration changes based on the complementary relationship theory in the Huai River basin of eastern China. Int J Climatol. https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.6060
Cowie SM, Knippertz P, Marsham JH (2013) Are vegetation-related roughness changes the cause of the recent decrease in dust emission from the Sahel? Geophys Res Lett 40:1868–1872. https://doi.org/10.1002/grl.50273
Deng K, Azorin-molina C, Minola L, Chen D (2021a) Global near-surface wind speed trends in observation and CMIP6 historical simulation for 1850 – 2014. EGU General Assembly 2020, Online, 4–8 May 2020, EGU2020-4730. https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-4730
Deng K, Azorin-molina C, Yang S, Zhang G (2021b) Terrestrial stilling will continue during the 21st century. Res Sq 1–14. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-288223/v1
Fujibe F (2009) Relation between long-term temperature and wind speed trends at surface observation stations in Japan. Sci Online Lett Atmos. https://doi.org/10.2151/sola.2009-021
Gao Y, Xu J, Chen D (2015) Evaluation of WRF mesoscale climate simulations over the Tibetan Plateau during 1979–2011. J Clim. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-14-00300.1
Ge J, Feng D, You Q et al (2021) Characteristics and causes of surface wind speed variations in Northwest China from 1979 to 2019. Atmos Res 254:105527. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2021.105527
Guo H, Xu M, Hu Q (2011) Changes in near-surface wind speed in China: 1969–2005. Int J Climatol. https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.2091
Huang M, Gao Z, Miao S, Xu X (2016) Characteristics of sea breezes over the Jiangsu coastal area, China. Int J Climatol 36:3908–3916. https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.4602
Jiang Y, Luo Y, Zhao Z (2013) Maximum wind speed changes over China. Acta Meteorol Sin 27:63–74. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13351-013-0107-x
Jiang Y, Luo Y, Zhao Z, Tao S (2010) Changes in wind speed over China during 1956–2004. Theor Appl Climatol. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-009-0152-7
Jin H, He W, Liu Q et al (2016) The applicability of research on moving cut data-approximate entropy on abrupt climate change detection. Theor Appl Climatol 124:475–486. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-015-1428-8
Kim JC, Paik K (2015) Recent recovery of surface wind speed after decadal decrease: a focus on South Korea. Clim Dyn. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-015-2546-9
Li X, Gao Y, Pan Y, Xu Y (2017) Evaluation of near-surface wind speed simulations over the Tibetan Plateau from three dynamical downscalings based on WRF model. Theor Appl Climatol 134:1399–1411. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-017-2353-9
Li Y, Chen Y, Li Z, Fang G (2018a) Recent recovery of surface wind speed in northwest China. Int J Climatol. https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.5679
Li Z, Song L, Ma H et al (2018b) Observed surface wind speed declining induced by urbanization in East China. Clim Dyn. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-017-3637-6
Li Z, Yan Z, Tu K et al (2011) Changes in wind speed and extremes in Beijing during 1960–2008 based on homogenized observations. Adv Atmos Sci. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-010-0018-z
Lin C, Yang K, Huang J et al (2015) Impacts of wind stilling on solar radiation variability in China. Sci Rep. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep15135
Lin C, Yang K, Qin J, Fu R (2013) Observed coherent trends of surface and upper-air wind speed over China since 1960. J Clim 26:2891–2903. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-12-00093.1
Liu F, Sun F, Liu W et al (2019) On wind speed pattern and energy potential in China. Appl Energy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.12.056
McVicar TR, Roderick ML, Donohue RJ et al (2012) Global review and synthesis of trends in observed terrestrial near-surface wind speeds: Implications for evaporation. J Hydrol 416–417:182–205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2011.10.024
Miao H, Dong D, Huang G et al (2020) Evaluation of Northern Hemisphere surface wind speed and wind power density in multiple reanalysis datasets. Energy 200:117382. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2020.117382
Najac J, Lac C, Terray L (2011) Impact of climate change on surface winds in France using a statistical-dynamical downscaling method with mesoscale modelling. Int J Climatol. https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.2075
Papaioannou G, Kitsara G, Athanasatos S (2011) Impact of global dimming and brightening on reference evapotranspiration in Greece. J Geophys Res Atmos. https://doi.org/10.1029/2010JD015525
Pryor SC, Ledolter J (2010) Addendum to “Wind speed trends over the contiguous United States.” J Geophys Res. https://doi.org/10.1029/2009jd013281
Pryor SC, Schoof JT, Barthelmie RJ (2006) Winds of change?: Projections of near-surface winds under climate change scenarios. Geophys Res Lett. https://doi.org/10.1029/2006GL026000
Roderick ML, Rotstayn LD, Farquhar GD, Hobbins MT (2007) On the attribution of changing pan evaporation. Geophys Res Lett. https://doi.org/10.1029/2007GL031166
Shi Z, Xu L, Yang X et al (2017) Trends in reference evapotranspiration and its attribution over the past 50 years in the Loess Plateau, China: implications for ecological projects and agricultural production. Stoch Environ Res Risk Assess. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00477-015-1203-5
Si D, Ding Y (2013) Decadal change in the correlation pattern between the tibetan plateau winter snow and the East Asian summer precipitation during 1979–2011. J Clim 26:7622–7634. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-12-00587.1
Soulouknga MH, Doka SY, Revanna N et al (2018) Analysis of wind speed data and wind energy potential in Faya-Largeau, Chad, using Weibull distribution. Renew Energy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2018.01.002
Sugita M, Ogawa S, Kawade M (2020) Wind as a main driver of spatial variability of surface energy balance over a shallow 102-km2 scale lake: Lake Kasumigaura, Japan. Water Resour Res. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020WR027173
Sun S, Zhang CF, Li X et al (2017) Sensitivity of crop water productivity to the variation of agricultural and climatic factors: a study of Hetao irrigation district, China. J Clean Prod. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.11.020
Tian Q, Huang G, Hu K, Niyogi D (2019) Observed and global climate model based changes in wind power potential over the Northern Hemisphere during 1979–2016. Energy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2018.11.027
Tong NYO, Leung DYC (2012) Effects of building aspect ratio, diurnal heating scenario, and wind speed on reactive pollutant dispersion in urban street canyons. J Environ Sci (china). https://doi.org/10.1016/S1001-0742(11)60971-6
Torralba V, Doblas-Reyes FJ, Gonzalez-Reviriego N (2017) Uncertainty in recent near-surface wind speed trends: a global reanalysis intercomparison. Environ Res Lett. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aa8a58
Walter A, Keuler K, Jacob D et al (2006) A high resolution reference data set of German wind velocity 1951–2001 and comparison with regional climate model results. Meteorol Zeitschrift. https://doi.org/10.1127/0941-2948/2006/0162
Wan H, Wang XL, Swail VR (2010) Homogenization and trend analysis of Canadian near-surface wind speeds. J Clim. https://doi.org/10.1175/2009JCLI3200.1
Wang J, Feng J, Yan Z, Zha J (2020) Urbanization impact on regional wind stilling: a modeling study in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region of China. J Geophys Res Atmos 125:1–17. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JD033132
Wang X, Dickinson RRE, Su L et al (2018) PM2.5 pollution in China and how it has been exacerbated by terrain and meteorological conditions. Bull Am Meteorol Soc 99:105–120. https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-16-0301.1
Wang X, Wang K, Su L (2016) Contribution of atmospheric diffusion conditions to the recent improvement in air quality in China. Sci Rep 6:1–11. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep36404
Wu J, Shi Y (2021) Changes in surface wind speed and its different grades over China during 1961–2020 based on a high-resolution dataset. Int J Climatol. https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.7453
Wu J, Shi Y, Xu Y (2020) Evaluation and projection of surface wind speed over china based on CMIP6 GCMs. J Geophys Res Atmos. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JD033611
Wu J, Zha J, Zhao D, Yang Q (2018a) Changes in terrestrial near-surface wind speed and their possible causes: an overview. Clim Dyn. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-017-3997-y
Wu J, Zha J, Zhao D, Yang Q (2018b) Changes of wind speed at different heights over eastern China during 1980–2011. Int J Climatol. https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.5681
Xie H, Zhu X (2013) Reference evapotranspiration trends and their sensitivity to climatic change on the Tibetan Plateau (1970–2009). Hydrol Process 27:3685–3693. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.9487
Yu J, Zhou T, Jiang Z, Zou L (2019) Evaluation of near-surfacewind speed changes during 1979 to 2011 over china based on five reanalysis datasets. Atmosphere (basel). https://doi.org/10.3390/ATMOS10120804
Zeng Z, Ziegler AD, Searchinger T et al (2019) A reversal in global terrestrial stilling and its implications for wind energy production. Nat Clim Chang. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-019-0622-6
Zha J, Shen C, Zhao D et al (2021) Slowdown and reversal of terrestrial near-surface wind speed and its future changes over eastern China. Environ Res Lett. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abe2cd
Zha J, Wu J, Zhao D (2017a) Effects of land use and cover change on the near-surface wind speed over China in the last 30 years. Prog Phys Geogr. https://doi.org/10.1177/0309133316663097
Zha J, Wu J, Zhao D (2016) Changes of probabilities in different wind grades induced by land use and cover change in Eastern China Plain during 1980–2011. Atmos Sci Lett 17:264–269. https://doi.org/10.1002/asl.653
Zha J, Wu J, Zhao D, Yang Q (2017b) Changes of the probabilities in different ranges of near-surface wind speed in China during the period for 1970–2011. J Wind Eng Ind Aerodyn. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jweia.2017.07.019
Zhang G, Azorin-Molina C, Chen D et al (2020) Variability of daily maximum wind speed across China, 1975–2016: An examination of likely causes. J Clim 33:2793–2816. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-19-0603.1
Zhang G, Azorin-Molina C, Chen D et al (2021) Uneven warming likely contributed to declining near-surface wind speeds in northern China between 1961 and 2016. J Geophys Res Atmos 126:1–24. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JD033637
Zhang G, Azorin-Molina C, Shi P et al (2019a) Impact of near-surface wind speed variability on wind erosion in the eastern agro-pastoral transitional zone of Northern China, 1982–2016. Agric for Meteorol. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2019.02.039
Zhang R, Zhang S, Luo J et al (2019b) Analysis of near-surface wind speed change in China during 1958–2015. Theor Appl Climatol 137:2785–2801. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-019-02769-0
Zhang Z, Wang K (2020) Stilling and recovery of the surface wind speed based on observation, reanalysis, and geostrophic wind theory over China from 1960 to 2017. J Clim. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-19-0281.1
Zheng J, Li B, Chen Y et al (2018) Spatiotemporal variation of upper-air and surface wind speed and its influencing factors in northwestern China during 1980–2012. Theor Appl Climatol. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-017-2346-8
Acknowledgements
We wish to acknowledge the Editor and the anonymous reviewers for their detailed and helpful comments to the original manuscript. We also acknowledge China Meteorological Administration and European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts for providing the datasets.
Funding
This work is jointly supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDA2006010202) and the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research (STEP) program (2019QZKK010314).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
Xia Li analyzed the data and wrote the manuscript. Yongjie Pan provided guidance and revised the manuscript. Yingsha Jiang revised the manuscript and improved grammar.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Ethics approval
The authors confirm that this article is an original research.
Consent to participate
The authors confirm that this article has not been published previously in any journal.
Consent for publication
The authors have agreed to submit this manuscript in its current form for publication in the journal.
Conflicts of interest
The authors declare no competing interests.
Additional information
Publisher's note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Li, X., Pan, Y. & Jiang, Y. The analysis of the spatiotemporal variations and mechanisms for the near-surface wind speed over China in the last 40 years. Theor Appl Climatol 148, 1163–1180 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-022-03991-z
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-022-03991-z