Chinese Scientists Confirm Warming Hiatus For China, 2001-2015

From Watts Up With That:  Anthony Watts / August 25, 2018

From “the pause is a fact” department and The GWPF

A regional warming hiatus is diagnosed for the period 2001–2015 in China. Greenhouse gases-induced warming is suppressed by natural variability.

Satellite-based regional warming hiatus in China and its implication

Science of The Total Environment, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.08.233

Jiangsu Center for Collaborative Innovation in Geographical Information Resource Development and Application, Key Laboratory of Virtual Geographic Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Geographic Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China

Abstract

The slowdown in global warming since 1998, often termed the global warming hiatus. Reconciling the “hiatus” is a main focus in the 2013 climate change conference. Accurately characterizing the spatiotemporal trends in surface air temperature (SAT) is helps to better understand the “hiatus” during the period. This article presents a satellite-based regional warming simulation to diagnose the “hiatus” for 2001–2015 in China. Results show that the rapid warming is mainly in western and southern China, such as Yunnan (mean ± standard deviation: 0.39 ± 0.26 °C (10 yr)⁻¹), Tibet (0.22 ± 0.25 °C (10 yr)⁻¹), Taiwan (0.21 ± 0.25 °C (10 yr)⁻¹), and Sichuan (0.19 ± 0.25 °C (10 yr)⁻¹). On the contrary, there is a cooling trend by 0.29 ± 0.26 °C (10 yr)⁻¹ in northern China during the recent 15 yr, where a warming rate about 0.38 ± 0.11 °C (10 yr)⁻¹ happened for 1960–2000. Overall, satellite simulation shows that the warming rate is reduced to −0.02 °C (10 yr)⁻¹. The changes in underlying surface, Earth’s orbit, solar radiation and atmospheric counter radiation (USEOSRACR) cause China’s temperature rise about 0.02 °C (10 yr)⁻¹. A combination of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and other natural forcing (ONAT, predominately volcanic activity, and atmosphere and ocean circulation) explain another part of temperature trend by approximately −0.04 °C (10 yr)⁻¹. We conclude that there is a regional warming hiatus, a pause or a slowdown in China, and imply that GHGs-induced warming is suppressed by ONAT in the early 21st century.

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