Comparison of Surface Air Temperatures and Precipitation in Eastern and Western China during 1951—2003

Based on the monthlymean surface air temperatureand precipitation data of160 stations in China during 1951—2003,the consistencies and differences of the trends in surface air temperaturesand precipitation over easternand western China and their causes are analyzed and discussed.The results showed that therewere close connections and consistency in variations of annual and seasonal mean surface air temperatures in eastern and western China,precipitation change was a curved tendency.The warming trends inthe eastern andthe western China were all significant,the precipitation decreased in 1950′s,and increased after 1990′s.The consistency of warming trend in eastern and western China suggests that the surface air temperatures in both eastern and western Chinawere influenced by global warming.Whereas,the fact that the warming trend in eastern China is more obvious than that in western China,it implies that topography also plays an important role in regional temperature variations.Atmospheric circulation plays an importantrole in precipitation change.