Intensification of heatwaves in Central Asia from 1981 to 2020 – Role of soil moisture reduction

Wang X. Li Y. Chen Y. Li Y. Wang C. Kaldybayev A. Gou R. Luo M. Duan W.
December 2023 Elsevier B.V.

Journal of Hydrology
2023 #627

Heatwaves pose increasing threats on water resources for ecosystems and human consumption especially in arid region, such as Central Asia (CA). As the hinterland of Eurasia, water scarcity and land degradation in CA have increased its vulnerability to heatwaves. While the frequency of heatwaves has been examined, more heatwave metrics such as timing are less known, possible influences of soil moisture on heatwave changes in this region are not fully understood. Using reanalysis and observational datasets, here we examine the spatial–temporal changes of heatwaves in CA during 1981–2020 and the role of various associated factors including soil moisture. The results show that the extreme heatwaves occurred more frequently in northwestern Kazakhstan. Temporally, heatwaves have been intensifying with significant increases in frequency (0.10 events/year), intensity (0.81 °C/year), and duration (0.08 days/year) since the 1980 s, and these trends have accelerated since 1997. The first yearly heatwave event tended to occur earlier in more recent decades, indicating an advanced heatwave season. We also found that the heatwave occurrences were significantly correlated with hydro-meteorological factors. In northwestern of CA, extreme heatwaves are exacerbated by a rapid decrease in soil moisture resulting from reduced precipitation and increased solar net radiation in this area. Our findings provide a scientific basis for understanding the mechanisms and predictions of heatwave in arid regions from the climate change perspective.

Central Asia , Driving factors , ERA5-Land , Heatwaves , Spatial–temporal variability

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College of Geography and Remote Sensing Sciences, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, 830017, China
State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, 830011, China
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
Institute of Ionosphere, National Center for Space Research and Technology, Almaty, 050040, Kazakhstan
Department of Earth System Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
School of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
Institute of Environment, Energy and Sustainability, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong

College of Geography and Remote Sensing Sciences
State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
Institute of Ionosphere
Department of Earth System Science
School of Geography and Planning
Institute of Environment

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