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  • May. 14, 2025

Arid Land Geography ›› 2025, Vol. 48 ›› Issue (4): 612-622.doi: 10.12118/j.issn.1000-6060.2024.480

• Climatology and Hydrology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Changes characteristics and dominant factors of potential evapotranspiration in different dry and wet zones of Inner Mongolia

WANG Zhichun1(), WANG Yanping2(), XU Zhenyu1, XUE Wenchao1   

  1. 1. Chifeng Meteorological Bureau of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Chifeng 024000, Inner Mongolia, China
    2. Hulun Buir Meteorological Bureau, Hailar 021008, Inner Mongolia, China
  • Received:2024-08-10 Revised:2024-10-06 Online:2025-04-25 Published:2025-04-18
  • Contact: WANG Yanping E-mail:cfqxwzc@163.com;fei_ping@sohu.com

Abstract:

The analysis of the spatial and temporal variations in potential evapotranspiration and its sensitivity to meteorological factors in different dry and wet zones is essential for optimizing water resource management in agriculture, animal husbandry, forestry, and water resource planning and allocation, as well as for predicting the impact of climate change on water resources. Given the diverse dry and wet conditions and climatic conditions in Inner Mongolia, China, a region significantly affected by climate change, the sensitivity coefficients of potential evapotranspiration to air temperature, wind speed, water vapor pressure, and sunshine hours were calculated based on the Penman-Monteith formula of the FAO for 76 meteorological stations in Inner Mongolia from 1961 to 2023. The dominant factors influencing potential evapotranspiration in different dry and wet zones and its quantitative response to climate change were investigated. The results indicate that: (1) Spatially, potential evapotranspiration generally decreases from west to east in the longitudinal direction and from south to north in the latitudinal direction. In arid and semi-arid zones, the trend in potential evapotranspiration is not pronounced, whereas in semihumid zones, an increasing trend is observed. (2) The sensitivity of potential evapotranspiration to meteorological factors follows this order: maximum air temperature is the most sensitive factor, followed by water vapor pressure, wind speed, and minimum air temperature, with sunshine hours being the least sensitive. (3) The sensitivity coefficients of all meteorological factors exhibit consistent trends across different dry and wet zones. The temperature sensitivity coefficient and vapor pressure sensitivity coefficient show a decreasing trend, whereas the wind speed sensitivity coefficient and sunshine hours sensitivity coefficient display an increasing trend, with significant changes observed for the water vapor pressure sensitivity coefficient and wind speed sensitivity coefficient. (4) Maximum and minimum air temperatures contribute positively to changes in potential evapotranspiration, whereas wind speed, water vapor pressure, and sunshine hours contribute negatively. Among these, sunshine hours have the least influence on potential evapotranspiration in all dry and wet zones. Wind speed is the dominant factor driving potential evapotranspiration changes in arid and semi-arid zones, while maximum air temperature is the dominant factor in semihumid zones.

Key words: potential evapotranspiration, sensitivity analysis, dominant factor, dry and wet zones, Inner Mongolia