Temporal and Spatial Variations of Agro-meteorological Disasters of Main Crops in China in a Changing Climate (Ⅱ):Drought of Cereal Crops in Northwest China
Based on the 1961-2010 daily meteorological data from 149 meteorological stations in northwest China and the growth period data of spring wheat, spring maize and summer maize, the spatial distribution and time evolution characteristic of drought for the three crops were cleared by using the crop water deficit index (CWDI). The results showed that (1) the occurrence of drought was frequent for the three crops during the whole growing seasons and each growth period in the study region. Specially, extreme drought and severe drought occurred with a wide range and high frequency, while light drought and moderate drought tended to occur in the eastern parts of the study region such as the southern area of Gansu and Shaanxi Province where the drought occurred less frequently and the level was lower. (2) The ratios of drought occurring stations for spring wheat, spring maize and summer maize during the whole growing period were 79.1%, 84.5% and 77.4%, respectively; the variation in the ratio of drought occurring stations for summer maize was relatively steady but the ratios of drought occurring stations for spring wheat and summer maize both showed a high fluctuation. Overall, the ratio of drought occurring stations for spring wheat during the whole growing season exhibited a declining trend, with a rate of -0.55 percent points per decade. However, the ratio of drought occurring stations for spring maize and summer maize during the growing season showed an increasing trend, with the rates of 0.24 percent points per decade and 0.20 percent points per decade, respectively. (3) The drought strength for spring wheat and summer maize in the eastern parts of the study region showed an increasing trend while a declining trend was detected in the west. The drought strength for summer maize in northern Shaanxi Province, Ningxia Autonomous Region and Hexi Corridor experienced an increasing trend, however other regions showed a decreasing trend.