CHARACTERISTICS OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE CHANGE IN CHANGJIANG DELTA AND ITS POSSIBLE MECHANISM^*

Characteristics of climate change in the Changjiang Delta were analyzed based on the annual mean meteorological data since 1961,including air temperature,maximum and minimum air temperature,precipitation,sunshine duration and visibility at 48 stations in that area(southern Jiangsu and northern Zhejiang),and its adjacent areas(northern Jiangsu,eastern Anhui and southern Zhejiang),together with the environmental data.The results indicate that it is getting warmer in the Changjiang Delta and cooler in adjacent areas,thus the Changjiang Delta becomes a big heat island,containing many little heat islands consisting of central cities,in which Shanghai City is the strongest heat island.The intensity of heat islands enhances as economic development goes up.From the year 1978.the beginning year of reform and opening policy,to the year 1997,the intensity of big heat island of Changjiang Delta has increased 0.5℃ and Shanghai heat island increased 0.8℃.However.since 1978 the constituents of SO2,NOx and TSP(total suspended particles)in the atmosphere,no matter whether in the Changjiang Delta or in the adjacent areas,have all increased,but pH values of precipitation decreased.In the meantime,both sunshine duration and visibility are also decreased,indicating that there exists a mechanism for climate cooling in these areas.Our analyses show that the mechanism for climate warming in the Changjiang Delta may be associated with heating increase caused by,economic development and increasing energy consumption.It is estimated that up to 1997 the intensity of warming caused by this mechanism in the Changjiang Delta has reached 0.8-0.9℃,about 4-4.5 times as large as the mean values before 1978.Since then,the increase rate has become 0. 035℃/a for the Changjiang Delta.It has reached 1.3℃ for Shanghai in 1997,about 12-13 times as large as the mean values before 1978.This is a rough estimation of increasing energy consumption rate caused by economic development.