Amplification of Coupled Hot‐Dry Extremes Over Eastern Monsoon China
Abstract High air temperatures and low atmospheric humidity can result in severe disasters such as flash droughts in regions characterized by high humidity (monsoon regions). However, it remains unclear whether responses of hot extremes to warming temperature are amplified on dry days as well as the...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Earth's Future |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2023EF003604 |
| _version_ | 1797374778338705408 |
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| author | Xinxin Zhang Xihui Gu Louise J. Slater Moctar Dembélé Fatih Tosunoğlu Yansong Guan Jianyu Liu Xiang Zhang Dongdong Kong Fenghua Xie Xiongpeng Tang |
| author_facet | Xinxin Zhang Xihui Gu Louise J. Slater Moctar Dembélé Fatih Tosunoğlu Yansong Guan Jianyu Liu Xiang Zhang Dongdong Kong Fenghua Xie Xiongpeng Tang |
| author_sort | Xinxin Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract High air temperatures and low atmospheric humidity can result in severe disasters such as flash droughts in regions characterized by high humidity (monsoon regions). However, it remains unclear whether responses of hot extremes to warming temperature are amplified on dry days as well as the response of dry extremes on hot days. Here, taking eastern monsoon China (EMC) as a typical monsoon region, we find a faster increase in air temperature on drier summer days, and a faster decrease in atmospheric humidity on hotter days, indicating “hotter days get drier” and “drier days get hotter” (i.e., coupling hotter and drier extremes), especially in southern EMC. The southern EMC is also a hotspot where the coupling hot‐dry extremes has become significantly stronger during the past six decades. The stronger hot‐dry coupling in southern EMC is associated with anomalies in large‐scale circulations, such as reduced total cloud cover, abnormal anticyclones in the upper atmosphere, intense descending motion, and strong moisture divergence over this region. Land‐atmosphere feedback enhance the hot‐dry coupling in southern EMC by increasing land surface dryness (seen as a decrease in the evaporation fraction). The decreasing evaporation fraction is associated with drying surface soil moisture, controlled by decreases in pre‐summer 1‐m soil moisture and summer‐mean precipitation. Given hot extremes are projected to increase and atmospheric humidity is predicted to decrease in the future, it is very likely that increasing hot‐dry days and associated disasters will be witnessed in monsoon regions, which should be mitigated against by adopting adaptive measures. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T19:09:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6a6c534bb51e4201bae3c18ec2113089 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2328-4277 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T19:09:38Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Earth's Future |
| spelling | doaj.art-6a6c534bb51e4201bae3c18ec21130892023-12-27T18:22:40ZengWileyEarth's Future2328-42772023-12-011112n/an/a10.1029/2023EF003604Amplification of Coupled Hot‐Dry Extremes Over Eastern Monsoon ChinaXinxin Zhang0Xihui Gu1Louise J. Slater2Moctar Dembélé3Fatih Tosunoğlu4Yansong Guan5Jianyu Liu6Xiang Zhang7Dongdong Kong8Fenghua Xie9Xiongpeng Tang10Department of Atmospheric Science School of Environmental Studies China University of Geosciences Wuhan ChinaDepartment of Atmospheric Science School of Environmental Studies China University of Geosciences Wuhan ChinaSchool of Geography and the Environment University of Oxford Oxford UKInternational Water Management Institute (IWMI) Accra GhanaDepartment of Civil Engineering Erzurum Technical University Erzurum TurkeyDepartment of Atmospheric Science School of Environmental Studies China University of Geosciences Wuhan ChinaLaboratory of Critical Zone Evolution School of Geography and Information Engineering China University of Geosciences Wuhan ChinaNational Engineering Research Center of Geographic Information System School of Geography and Information Engineering China University of Geosciences Wuhan ChinaDepartment of Atmospheric Science School of Environmental Studies China University of Geosciences Wuhan ChinaDepartment of Atmospheric Science School of Environmental Studies China University of Geosciences Wuhan ChinaGuangdong‐Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for Water Security Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai Zhuhai ChinaAbstract High air temperatures and low atmospheric humidity can result in severe disasters such as flash droughts in regions characterized by high humidity (monsoon regions). However, it remains unclear whether responses of hot extremes to warming temperature are amplified on dry days as well as the response of dry extremes on hot days. Here, taking eastern monsoon China (EMC) as a typical monsoon region, we find a faster increase in air temperature on drier summer days, and a faster decrease in atmospheric humidity on hotter days, indicating “hotter days get drier” and “drier days get hotter” (i.e., coupling hotter and drier extremes), especially in southern EMC. The southern EMC is also a hotspot where the coupling hot‐dry extremes has become significantly stronger during the past six decades. The stronger hot‐dry coupling in southern EMC is associated with anomalies in large‐scale circulations, such as reduced total cloud cover, abnormal anticyclones in the upper atmosphere, intense descending motion, and strong moisture divergence over this region. Land‐atmosphere feedback enhance the hot‐dry coupling in southern EMC by increasing land surface dryness (seen as a decrease in the evaporation fraction). The decreasing evaporation fraction is associated with drying surface soil moisture, controlled by decreases in pre‐summer 1‐m soil moisture and summer‐mean precipitation. Given hot extremes are projected to increase and atmospheric humidity is predicted to decrease in the future, it is very likely that increasing hot‐dry days and associated disasters will be witnessed in monsoon regions, which should be mitigated against by adopting adaptive measures.https://doi.org/10.1029/2023EF003604hot extremesatmospheric humiditycoupling hotter and drier extremeslarge‐scale circulationsland‐atmosphere feedbacks |
| spellingShingle | Xinxin Zhang Xihui Gu Louise J. Slater Moctar Dembélé Fatih Tosunoğlu Yansong Guan Jianyu Liu Xiang Zhang Dongdong Kong Fenghua Xie Xiongpeng Tang Amplification of Coupled Hot‐Dry Extremes Over Eastern Monsoon China Earth's Future hot extremes atmospheric humidity coupling hotter and drier extremes large‐scale circulations land‐atmosphere feedbacks |
| title | Amplification of Coupled Hot‐Dry Extremes Over Eastern Monsoon China |
| title_full | Amplification of Coupled Hot‐Dry Extremes Over Eastern Monsoon China |
| title_fullStr | Amplification of Coupled Hot‐Dry Extremes Over Eastern Monsoon China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Amplification of Coupled Hot‐Dry Extremes Over Eastern Monsoon China |
| title_short | Amplification of Coupled Hot‐Dry Extremes Over Eastern Monsoon China |
| title_sort | amplification of coupled hot dry extremes over eastern monsoon china |
| topic | hot extremes atmospheric humidity coupling hotter and drier extremes large‐scale circulations land‐atmosphere feedbacks |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2023EF003604 |
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