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Observed surface wind speed declining induced by urbanization in East China

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Abstract

Monthly wind data from 506 meteorological stations and ERA-Interim reanalysis during 1991–2015, are used to examine the surface wind trend over East China. Furthermore, combining the urbanization information derived from the DMSP/OLS nighttime light data during 1992–2013, the effects of urbanization on surface wind change are investigated by applying the observation minus reanalysis (OMR) method. The results show that the observed surface wind speed over East China is distinctly weakening with a rate of −0.16 m s−1 deca−1 during 1991–2015, while ERA-Interim wind speed does not have significant decreasing or increasing trend in the same period. The observed surface wind declining is mainly attributed to underlying surface changes of stations observational areas that were mostly induced by the urbanization in East China. Moreover, the wind declining intensity is closely related to the urbanization rhythms. The OMR annual surface wind speeds of Rhythm-VS, Rhythm-S, Rhythm-M, Rhythm-F and Rhythm-VF, have decreasing trends with the rates of −0.02 to −0.09, −0.16 to −0.26, −0.22 to −0.30, −0.26 to −0.36 and −0.33 to −0.51 m s−1 deca−1, respectively. The faster urbanization rhythm is, the stronger wind speed weakening presents. Additionally urban expansion is another factor resulted in the observed surface wind declining.

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Acknowledgements

Stations wind data were provided by the National Meteorological Information Center of the China Meteorological Administration (NMIC/CMA); the ERA Interim dataset come from the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecast (ECMWF), and the nighttime light products were downloaded from the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). We thank all the data sources. This study is sponsored by the Special Program for Key Basic Research of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (2013FY112400), Climate Change Special Foundation of China Meteorological Administration (CCSF201427), Special Fund for Meteorological Science and Technology of Zhejiang Province, China (2015ZD09), and Special Fund for Outstanding Youth of China Meteorological Administration.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Zhejiang Climate Center, Zhejiang Meteorological Bureau, Hangzhou, 310017, China

    Zhengquan Li, Hao Ma, Jingjing Xiao, Kuo Wang & Lian Chen

  2. Wind and Solar Energy Resources Center, China Meteorological Administration, Beijing, 100081, China

    Zhengquan Li & Lili Song

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  1. Zhengquan Li
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  2. Lili Song
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  3. Hao Ma
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Correspondence to Lili Song.

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Li, Z., Song, L., Ma, H. et al. Observed surface wind speed declining induced by urbanization in East China. Clim Dyn 50, 735–749 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-017-3637-6

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