Spatio-temporal temperature variations in the Chinese Yellow River basin from 1981 to 2013

Air temperature changes are one of the main factors that cause variability in the natural landscape and living environment. In this study, spatio-temporal evolutions in temperature in the Yellow River basin were statistically interpolated by the partial thin plate smoothing spline method for the period 1981–2013. Results indicate that: (1) the interpolation method can be successfully applied to simulate the spatio-temporal evolution of meteorological data in large regions with complex terrain; (2) annual temperature distributions show no obvious changes from 1981 to 2013 (the spatial distribution maintains the form of an overall decreasing trend from the east to the west of the basin - the annual average temperature in the east of the basin is about 13–15°C, while in the west it is about –7 to –3°C); (3) the average lowest and highest temperatures in January and December were concentrated in the western and southeastern regions of the basin respectively; January has the lowest temperature, while July has the highest temperature; the lowest temperature from May to September may stay above 0°C, and in the remaining months it will stay below 0°C. The research method applied in this study can provide a reference for the interpolation of meteorological data in other study areas. © 2017 Royal Meteorological Society