Changes in the reference evapotranspiration and contributions of climate factors over the Indo–China Peninsula during 1961–2017

Abstract

Given the key roles of the Indo–China Peninsula (ICP) in weather and climate systems, hydrometeorology, and ecology, the annual and monthly changes in the Food and Agriculture Organization-56 Penman–Monteith reference evapotranspiration (ET0), which was calculated based on the Climatic Research Unit datasets, were investigated in ICP during 1961–2017. The annual ICP ET0 significantly (p 75% of ICP in total). The results of this study can significantly fulfil the research gap regarding the ICP ET0 changes and the underlying mechanisms. Meanwhile, this study provides fundamental and necessary information for protecting biodiversity and understanding hydrometeorological extreme events, thus promoting specific measures to sustain the ICP development.