Assessment on Climate Change in China for the Last 2000 Years

The climate change in China was assessed synthetically for the last 2000 years, based on reviewing climatic change research literature published in the last 20 years. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) In the 20th century, a warming trend was clearly detected, but for eastern China the fluctuation magnitude was less than the maximum level, which occurred in the last 2000 years. (2) Precipitation showed the inter-centennial tendency having obvious spatial difference, especially in North China and south of the Yangze River, is opposite to the low frequency change trend. With respect to the entire change trend, before 280 AD, the climate was relatively wet but afterwards the climate gradually became dry. Furthermore, after 1230 AD, the climate was in the stabilized state of dryness. (3) The temperature change tendency in eastern China is consistent with western China but there were obvious differences in the magnitude and timing of the cold/warm epoch. (4) During the Medieval Warm Period, the climate was relatively dry in North China, while it was relatively wet in the south of the Yangtze River. In addition, the climate was relatively wet during the Little Ice Age in North China and the precipitation variation became greater in eastern China.