Spatial and temporal variation of surface water vapor over northern and southern regions of Qinling Mountains

Abstract

Water vapor content is a highly important variable for ecosystem, hydrology and climate systems. It directly affects the generation of precipitation, and it has a close correlation with the whole content of water vapor in the air. Many researches have been done in water vapor conditions, sources, directions of movement and convergence regarding the formation of heavy rain, and in the relations between these factors and the rainy season and rain belts in the east, south and low-latitude regions of China. However, due to the limitation of available data and computing technologies, it was not until the 1990s that the study on water vapor in Northwest China began to be paid much attention to. Since the latter half of the 1980s, precipitation and temperature in the northern and southern regions of Qinling Mountains increased and decreased significantly, respectively, which are usually attributed to global warming and the climate changed from ' warm and humid爷 to ' warm and dry爷 in this region.