IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i1p465-d716405.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Spatial Distribution of, and Variations in, Cold Regions in China from 1961 to 2019

Author

Listed:
  • Yumeng Wang

    (Heilongjiang Province Key Laboratory of Geographical Environment Monitoring and Spatial Information Service in Cold Regions, Harbin Normal University, Harbin 150025, China)

  • Jingyan Ma

    (Teaching Management and Teaching Office, Harbin Normal University, Harbin 150025, China)

  • Lijuan Zhang

    (Heilongjiang Province Key Laboratory of Geographical Environment Monitoring and Spatial Information Service in Cold Regions, Harbin Normal University, Harbin 150025, China)

  • Yutao Huang

    (Heilongjiang Province Key Laboratory of Geographical Environment Monitoring and Spatial Information Service in Cold Regions, Harbin Normal University, Harbin 150025, China)

  • Xihui Guo

    (Heilongjiang Province Key Laboratory of Geographical Environment Monitoring and Spatial Information Service in Cold Regions, Harbin Normal University, Harbin 150025, China)

  • Yiping Yang

    (Heilongjiang Province Key Laboratory of Geographical Environment Monitoring and Spatial Information Service in Cold Regions, Harbin Normal University, Harbin 150025, China)

  • Enbo Zhao

    (Heilongjiang Province Key Laboratory of Geographical Environment Monitoring and Spatial Information Service in Cold Regions, Harbin Normal University, Harbin 150025, China)

  • Yufeng Zhao

    (Heilongjiang Province Key Laboratory of Geographical Environment Monitoring and Spatial Information Service in Cold Regions, Harbin Normal University, Harbin 150025, China)

  • Yue Chu

    (Heilongjiang Province Key Laboratory of Geographical Environment Monitoring and Spatial Information Service in Cold Regions, Harbin Normal University, Harbin 150025, China)

  • Meiyi Jiang

    (Heilongjiang Province Key Laboratory of Geographical Environment Monitoring and Spatial Information Service in Cold Regions, Harbin Normal University, Harbin 150025, China)

  • Nan Wang

    (Heilongjiang Province Key Laboratory of Geographical Environment Monitoring and Spatial Information Service in Cold Regions, Harbin Normal University, Harbin 150025, China)

Abstract

In this study, on the basis of the temperature data collected at 612 meteorological stations in China from 1961 to 2019, cold regions were defined using three indicators: an average temperature of <−3.0 °C during the coldest month; less than five months with an average temperature of >10 °C; and an annual average temperature of ≤5 °C. Spatial interpolation, spatial superposition, a trend analysis, and a spatial similarity analysis were used to obtain the spatial distribution of the cold regions in China from 1961 to 2019. Then, the areas of the cold regions and the spatial change characteristics were analyzed. The results reveal that the average area of the cold regions in China from 1961 to 2019 was about 427.70 × 10 4 km 2 , accounting for about 44.5% of the total land area. The rate of change of the area of the cold regions from 1961 to 2019 was −14.272 × 10 4 km 2 /10 a, exhibiting a very significant decreasing trend. On the basis of the changes between 1991–2019 and 1961–1990, the area of China’s cold regions decreased by 49.32 × 10 4 km 2 . The findings of this study provide references for studying changes in the natural environment due to climate change, as well as for studying changes on a global scale.

Suggested Citation

  • Yumeng Wang & Jingyan Ma & Lijuan Zhang & Yutao Huang & Xihui Guo & Yiping Yang & Enbo Zhao & Yufeng Zhao & Yue Chu & Meiyi Jiang & Nan Wang, 2022. "Spatial Distribution of, and Variations in, Cold Regions in China from 1961 to 2019," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-12, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:1:p:465-:d:716405
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/1/465/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/1/465/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jan Nitzbon & Sebastian Westermann & Moritz Langer & Léo C. P. Martin & Jens Strauss & Sebastian Laboor & Julia Boike, 2020. "Fast response of cold ice-rich permafrost in northeast Siberia to a warming climate," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 1-11, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Qianhan Wu & Linghong Ke & Jida Wang & Tamlin M. Pavelsky & George H. Allen & Yongwei Sheng & Xuejun Duan & Yunqiang Zhu & Jin Wu & Lei Wang & Kai Liu & Tan Chen & Wensong Zhang & Chenyu Fan & Bin Yon, 2023. "Satellites reveal hotspots of global river extent change," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-13, December.
    2. M. E. Marushchak & J. Kerttula & K. Diáková & A. Faguet & J. Gil & G. Grosse & C. Knoblauch & N. Lashchinskiy & P. J. Martikainen & A. Morgenstern & M. Nykamb & J. G. Ronkainen & H. M. P. Siljanen & L, 2021. "Thawing Yedoma permafrost is a neglected nitrous oxide source," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-10, December.
    3. Rashit M. Hantemirov & Christophe Corona & Sébastien Guillet & Stepan G. Shiyatov & Markus Stoffel & Timothy J. Osborn & Thomas M. Melvin & Ludmila A. Gorlanova & Vladimir V. Kukarskih & Alexander Y. , 2022. "Current Siberian heating is unprecedented during the past seven millennia," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-8, December.
    4. Jens Strauss & Christina Biasi & Tina Sanders & Benjamin W. Abbott & Thomas Schneider Deimling & Carolina Voigt & Matthias Winkel & Maija E. Marushchak & Dan Kou & Matthias Fuchs & Marcus A. Horn & Lo, 2022. "A globally relevant stock of soil nitrogen in the Yedoma permafrost domain," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    5. Liu, Zhenhai & Chen, Bin & Wang, Shaoqiang & Wang, Qinyi & Chen, Jinghua & Shi, Weibo & Wang, Xiaobo & Liu, Yuanyuan & Tu, Yongkai & Huang, Mei & Wang, Junbang & Wang, Zhaosheng & Li, Hui & Zhu, Tongt, 2021. "The impacts of vegetation on the soil surface freezing-thawing processes at permafrost southern edge simulated by an improved process-based ecosystem model," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 456(C).
    6. Moritz Langer & Thomas Schneider Deimling & Sebastian Westermann & Rebecca Rolph & Ralph Rutte & Sofia Antonova & Volker Rachold & Michael Schultz & Alexander Oehme & Guido Grosse, 2023. "Thawing permafrost poses environmental threat to thousands of sites with legacy industrial contamination," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-11, December.
    7. Rúna Í. Magnússon & Alexandra Hamm & Sergey V. Karsanaev & Juul Limpens & David Kleijn & Andrew Frampton & Trofim C. Maximov & Monique M. P. D. Heijmans, 2022. "Extremely wet summer events enhance permafrost thaw for multiple years in Siberian tundra," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-10, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:1:p:465-:d:716405. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.