Seasonal variation in the regional structure of warming across China in the past half century

A dataset of 160 National Meteorological Observatory stations with long-term monthly temperature data for China was analyzed to assess the seasonal variation of the spatial temperature structure across China in the past half century. Different warming trends were found for the different seasons: the extent of warming is stronger and more widespread in winter than in summer. Warming is more pronounced at higher latitude, particularly in winter. The possible mechanisms of seasonal variation in climate warming include effects of greenhouse gases, increased cloud cover due to increases in sulfate aerosols, and local processes such as changes in land use and urban heat island effects.