Regional differences of surface temperature sensitivity to land cover in China

The regional differences of surface temperature sensitivity to land cover in China are analyzed by observation minus reanalysis (OMR) method. OMR trends derived from observation and National Centers for environmental prediction/National Center for Atmospheric research reanalysis (NCEP/NCAR reanalysis) data show that north and south China get similar warming trends but smaller than that of Tibet. OMR trends for AVHRR land covers reveal the differences among land cover types and regions. For north and south, woody land covers get larger warming trends than herbal land covers, however, Tibet shows an adverse result. The regional differences also can be found in specific land cover types like cropland, which can be explained by different agriculture among regions. These regional differences may relate to land properties such as elevation, terrain, climate features like precipitation and so on. ? 2011 IEEE.EI