Spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of drought and its influencing factors in Heilongjiang Province, China from 1956 to 2015

Abstract

In the context of global warming, extreme drought climate events show a trend of frequent occurrence. Studying the relationship between climate change and drought disasters by using the performance characteristics of climate change has become a new strategic focus of global change science. In this paper, we collected meteorological data from 14 meteorological stations from 1956 to 2015 in Heilongjiang Province and used a standard precipitation index (SPI) of meteorological drought to analyze temporal and spatial characteristics of droughts in the province. Multiple methods such as Linear regression analysis, Mann-Kendall trend test and Kriging interpolation were applied and analyzed to reveal temporal and spatial distribution patterns of drought frequency and drought intensity in different parts of the province. The results show that: (1) the precipitation in Heilongjiang Province has shown a downward trend in the past 60 years and the correlation between the monthly average precipitation and the monthly mean temperature is also apparent. (2) Since 1990s, the intensity of higher drought has escalated in the whole province and has gradually strengthened from south to north. (3) The frequency distribution of drought is the lowest in the central and southern regions, and the highest in the west. (4) The uneven precipitation, sandstorm and uneven distribution of evaporation caused by the monsoon in Heilongjiang Province are the main meteorological factors for the formation of drought in the province.