Central Taiwan’s hydroclimate in response to land use/cover change
Land use/cover change (LUCC) has taken place since the 1990s in central Taiwan; however, its impacts on the local and regional hydroclimatology are not understood thoroughly. This study is grounded in a numerical experiment using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model and statistical asses...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
IOP Publishing
2020-01-01
|
| Series: | Environmental Research Letters |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab68aa |
| _version_ | 1827870078360616960 |
|---|---|
| author | Chia-Jeng Chen Chu-Chun Chen Min-Hui Lo Jehn-Yih Juang Che-Min Chang |
| author_facet | Chia-Jeng Chen Chu-Chun Chen Min-Hui Lo Jehn-Yih Juang Che-Min Chang |
| author_sort | Chia-Jeng Chen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Land use/cover change (LUCC) has taken place since the 1990s in central Taiwan; however, its impacts on the local and regional hydroclimatology are not understood thoroughly. This study is grounded in a numerical experiment using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model and statistical assessments of continuous land cover and gridded precipitation data derived for central Taiwan. We incorporate survey-based land use data in 1995 and 2007 in driving WRF to simulate selective non-rainy and rainy (dry and wet) cases under weak synoptic forcings in July and August (JA). The two land-use conditions reveal changes in simulation fields on account of increased urban and built-up lands. Results averaged over the dry cases show increased (diminished) sensible heat fluxes and 2 m temperatures (latent heat fluxes and 2 m specific humidity) in 2007 compared to that in 1995. The wet-case simulation further identifies intensified precipitation over the downwind areas of urban and built-up lands, strongly subject to local topography and prevailing winds. Statistical assessments of the Landsat land cover and gridded precipitation data verify significant increasing trends in urbanization and the JA rainfall. Regression-based analysis that scales the effect of the LUCC on the change in precipitation corroborates the WRF simulation: LUCC has induced eastward, downwind association with the JA rainfall. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T15:53:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-46b831ab1ca64c618d87e16ec1fd6209 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1748-9326 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T15:53:36Z |
| publishDate | 2020-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj.art-46b831ab1ca64c618d87e16ec1fd62092023-08-09T15:02:28ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research Letters1748-93262020-01-0115303401510.1088/1748-9326/ab68aaCentral Taiwan’s hydroclimate in response to land use/cover changeChia-Jeng Chen0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7018-1025Chu-Chun Chen1Min-Hui Lo2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8653-143XJehn-Yih Juang3Che-Min Chang4Department of Civil Engineering, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, TaiwanDepartment of Atmospheric Sciences, National Taiwan University , Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Illinois , Urbana, IL 61801, United States of AmericaDepartment of Atmospheric Sciences, National Taiwan University , Taipei, TaiwanDepartment of Geography, National Taiwan University , Taipei, TaiwanDepartment of Civil Engineering, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, TaiwanLand use/cover change (LUCC) has taken place since the 1990s in central Taiwan; however, its impacts on the local and regional hydroclimatology are not understood thoroughly. This study is grounded in a numerical experiment using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model and statistical assessments of continuous land cover and gridded precipitation data derived for central Taiwan. We incorporate survey-based land use data in 1995 and 2007 in driving WRF to simulate selective non-rainy and rainy (dry and wet) cases under weak synoptic forcings in July and August (JA). The two land-use conditions reveal changes in simulation fields on account of increased urban and built-up lands. Results averaged over the dry cases show increased (diminished) sensible heat fluxes and 2 m temperatures (latent heat fluxes and 2 m specific humidity) in 2007 compared to that in 1995. The wet-case simulation further identifies intensified precipitation over the downwind areas of urban and built-up lands, strongly subject to local topography and prevailing winds. Statistical assessments of the Landsat land cover and gridded precipitation data verify significant increasing trends in urbanization and the JA rainfall. Regression-based analysis that scales the effect of the LUCC on the change in precipitation corroborates the WRF simulation: LUCC has induced eastward, downwind association with the JA rainfall.https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab68aaland-atmosphere interactionsland-surface modelstatistical analysisclimate change |
| spellingShingle | Chia-Jeng Chen Chu-Chun Chen Min-Hui Lo Jehn-Yih Juang Che-Min Chang Central Taiwan’s hydroclimate in response to land use/cover change Environmental Research Letters land-atmosphere interactions land-surface model statistical analysis climate change |
| title | Central Taiwan’s hydroclimate in response to land use/cover change |
| title_full | Central Taiwan’s hydroclimate in response to land use/cover change |
| title_fullStr | Central Taiwan’s hydroclimate in response to land use/cover change |
| title_full_unstemmed | Central Taiwan’s hydroclimate in response to land use/cover change |
| title_short | Central Taiwan’s hydroclimate in response to land use/cover change |
| title_sort | central taiwan s hydroclimate in response to land use cover change |
| topic | land-atmosphere interactions land-surface model statistical analysis climate change |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab68aa |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT chiajengchen centraltaiwanshydroclimateinresponsetolandusecoverchange AT chuchunchen centraltaiwanshydroclimateinresponsetolandusecoverchange AT minhuilo centraltaiwanshydroclimateinresponsetolandusecoverchange AT jehnyihjuang centraltaiwanshydroclimateinresponsetolandusecoverchange AT cheminchang centraltaiwanshydroclimateinresponsetolandusecoverchange |