Gu et al. (2026) Steeper spatiotemporal distribution of extreme precipitation intensity in urban than rural regions

Identification

• Journal: Journal of Hydrology
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-01-08
• Authors: Tianshun Gu, Xihui Gu, Yansong Guan, Liangyi Wang, Edvin Aldrian, Fredolin Tangang, Mukand S. Babel, Ahmed El Kenawy, Ijaz Hussain, José Antônio Marengo Orsini, Erdenesukh Sumiya, Xiang Zhang, Dongdong Kong, Wenjie Hu, Lunche Wang
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.134930

Research Groups

• State Key Laboratory of Geomicrobiology and Environmental Changes, Hubei Key Laboratory of Regional Ecology and Environmental Change, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China
• Shenzhen Research Institute, China University of Geosciences, Shenzhen, China
• Department of Geography and Resource Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
• Department of Geography, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
• Agency for Research and Innovation BRIN, Jakarta, Indonesia
• Department of Earth Sciences and Environment, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Malaysia
• Hanoi University of Science, Vietnam National University (VNU-HUS), Hanoi, Viet Nam
• Water Engineering and Management, School of Engineering and Technology, Asian Institute of Technology, Pathum Thani, Thailand
• Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IPE–CSIC), Zaragoza, Spain
• Interdisciplinary Research Center for Refining & Advanced Chemicals, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
• National Center for Monitoring and Early Warning of Natural Disasters/CEMADEN, S˜ao Jos´e dos Campos, Brazil
• Graduate Program in Natural Disasters, UNESP/CEMADEN, S˜ao Jos´e dos Campos, Brazil
• Graduate School of International Studies, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea
• Division of Natural Sciences, National University of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
• National Engineering Research Center of Geographic Information System, School of Geography and Information Engineering, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China

Short Summary

This study investigates how urbanization in the Yangtze River Delta asymmetrically reorganizes extreme precipitation, revealing that urban areas experience steeper, more concentrated, and less uniform spatiotemporal patterns of extreme precipitation compared to rural regions.

Objective

• To examine how urbanization alters the structure-related characteristics (intensity, timing, spatial extent, and concentration) of extreme precipitation across time and space, specifically focusing on the urbanization-induced asymmetric spatiotemporal reorganization of extreme precipitation.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration of East China.
• Temporal Scale: Rainy season (May–September) from 1979 to 2015.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Not explicitly mentioned in the provided text.
• Data sources: Observational data (type not specified in provided text).

Main Results

• Urban extreme precipitation events exhibit less uniform temporal evolution than rural counterparts, characterized by sharper peaks, suppressed flanks, and faster post-peak attenuation.
• Spatially, these events display more heterogeneous patterns in urban areas, with centralized intensification and peripheral weakening.
• This temporal reorganization is driven by greater warming and stronger peak-precipitation response in urban regions.
• The spatial reorganization is driven by extensive urban expansion, which contracts the spatial extent of extreme precipitation while amplifying its central intensity.

Contributions

• Improves understanding of how urbanization reshapes the spatiotemporal structure of extreme precipitation.
• Provides insights for improved flood preparedness and water resource management in rapidly developing urban regions.

Funding

• Not mentioned in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Gu2026Steeper,
  author = {Gu, Tianshun and Gu, Xihui and Guan, Yansong and Wang, Liangyi and Aldrian, Edvin and Tangang, Fredolin and Phan-Van, Tan and Babel, Mukand S. and Kenawy, Ahmed El and Hussain, Ijaz and Orsini, José Antônio Marengo and Sumiya, Erdenesukh and Zhang, Xiang and Kong, Dongdong and Hu, Wenjie and Wang, Lunche},
  title = {Steeper spatiotemporal distribution of extreme precipitation intensity in urban than rural regions},
  journal = {Journal of Hydrology},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.134930},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.134930}
}