Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Kansas State University, 1016 Seaton Hall, Manhattan, KS, 66506, USA.
Department of Geography, Kansas State University, 1002 Seaton Hall, Manhattan, KS, 66506, USA.
Sci Rep. 2020 Sep 24;10(1):15691. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-72624-0.
Simultaneous low humidity, high temperature, and high wind speeds disturb the water balance in plants, intensify evapotranspiration, and can ultimately lead to crop damage. In addition, these events have been linked to flash droughts and can play a critical role in the spread of human ignited wildfires. The spatial patterns and temporal changes of hot, dry, and windy events (HDWs) for two time periods, 1949 to 2018 (70-years) and 1969 to 2018 (50-years) were analyzed in the central United States. The highest frequencies of HDWs were observed at stations in western Kansas and west Texas. Annually, the highest number of events happened concurrently with the major heat waves and droughts in 1980 and 2011. Temporally, an overall decrease in the HDWs was significant in the eastern regions of North Dakota and South Dakota, and an upward trend was significant in Texas and the western part of the Great Plains. Significant trends in HDWs co-occurred more frequently with significant trends in extreme temperatures compared with low humidity or strong wind events. The results of this study provide valuable information on the location of places where HDWs are more likely to occur. The information provided could be used to improve water management strategies.
同时存在低湿度、高温和高风速会扰乱植物的水平衡，加剧蒸散作用，最终可能导致作物受损。此外，这些事件与突发性干旱有关，并在人类引发的野火蔓延中起着关键作用。本研究分析了美国中部两个时间段（1949 年至 2018 年（70 年）和 1969 年至 2018 年（50 年））的炎热、干燥和多风事件（HDWs）的空间格局和时间变化。在堪萨斯州西部和德克萨斯州西部的站点观测到 HDWs 的频率最高。每年，与 1980 年和 2011 年主要热浪和干旱同时发生的事件数量最多。在北达科他州和南达科他州的东部地区，HDWs 总体呈下降趋势，而在德克萨斯州和大平原西部，HDWs 呈上升趋势。与低湿度或强风事件相比，HDWs 与极端温度的显著趋势同时发生的频率更高。本研究的结果提供了有关 HDWs 更可能发生的地点的有价值信息。提供的信息可用于改进水资源管理策略。
