Interannual Variability of Summer Hotness in China: Synergistic Effect of Frequency and Intensity of High Temperature

Abstract

In the context of global warming, the impact of summer high temperature events is increasing. The accumulated summer high temperature is often used to reflect the overall hotness of summer. The internal variation of the accumulated temperature can be affected by both the frequency and intensity. In this study, by using the daily data during summers of 1960–2018, we examine the relative importance of the two factors with a multiple linear regression method. It is demonstrated that that the dominant result of summer accumulated temperature is sensitive to the change of threshold. As the threshold increases, the importance of frequency gradually increases, while the importance of the intensity decreases. In addition, it is found that when the threshold changes, the sensitivity of the dominant results is different over regions. This can provide a basis for the selection of regional thresholds and further improve the representation of accumulated temperature for high summer temperatures.