Evidence of decreasing diurnal temperature range in eastern Northern Hemisphere

Abstract

As a key variable in the climate system, the diurnal temperature range (DTR) has received a lot of attention in the atmospheric science community. The majority of published papers interpret DTR change in terms of variables like water vapor, cloud cover, and enhanced vegetation index. In this study, we found that the DTR has an obvious decreasing trend in the semi-arid Northeastern Hemisphere, and the decreasing trend is mainly caused by the continuous release of CO2 closely associated with a drying process in the Northeastern Hemisphere. As a result of the continued high emission of CO2, such accelerated decline changes in DTR in drylands may become much more pronounced in the future, posing a series of environmental problems.