Patterns of Multiscale Temperature Variability over the Eastern and Central Tibetan Plateau During 1960-2008

Climate variability is an important inherent characteristic of climate and it varies on all timescales. Through examination of temperature variability on multiple temporal scales at 63 stations over the eastern and central Tibetan Plateau (TP) during 1960–2008, we find decreasing trends in daily and intraannual temperature, especially in cold seasons (autumn and winter). These changes are more sensitive than those in the eastern China coastal region at the same latitude and indicate an asymmetric change of temperature, with hourly, daily, and monthly trends in cold periods stronger than those in warm periods during the recent years. The variation of interannual temperature is complex, showing an increasing trend in autumn and winter and decreasing trend in spring and summer, which is similar to those in the northern polar region. The changes of multiscale variability of temperature are mainly related to changes of atmospheric water vapor, cloudiness, anthropogenic aerosols, monsoon-driven climate, and some local factors. To find the influences of local conditions on temperature variability, we analyze the effects of altitude, topography, and urbanization. The results show that elevation is strongly and positively related to diurnal temperature range (DTR) and slightly positively related to interannual temperature variability (IVT), but intraannual temperature variability shows no clear elevation dependency. Topography and urbanization also play important roles in multiscale temperature variability. Finally, strong relationships are observed between temperature variability on each scale and different extreme indices.