Changes in temperature and precipitation extreme indices over China: analysis of a high-resolution grid dataset

Based on the high-resolution gridding data (CN05) from 2416 station observations, a grid dataset of temperature and precipitation extreme indices with the resolution of 0.5 degrees x0.5 degrees for China region was developed using the approach recommended by the Expert Team on Climate Change Detection and Indices. This article comprehensively presents temporal and spatial changes of these indices for the time period 1961-2010. Results showed widespread significant changes in temperature extremes consistent with warming, for instance, decreases in cold extremes and increases in warm extremes over China. The warming in the coldest day and night is larger than the warmest day and night, respectively, which is concurrent with the coldest night larger than the coldest day and the warmest night larger than the warmest day. Changes in the number of the cold and warm nights are more remarkable than the cold and warm days. Changes in precipitation extremes are, in general, spatially more complex and exhibit a less widespread spatial coverage than the temperature indices, for instance, the patterns of annual total precipitation amount, average daily precipitation rate, and the proportion of heavy precipitation in total annual precipitation are similar with negative trends in a southwest-northeast belt from Southwest China to Northeast China while positive trends in eastern China and northwestern China. The consistency of changes in climate extremes from the CN05 with other datasets based on the stations and reanalyses is also analysed.