Zhenyuan et al. (2026) Impacts of climate change on rain-on-snow events and spring agricultural drought in Northeast China

Identification

• Journal: Journal of Hydrology
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-04
• Authors: Lei Zhenyuan, Jia Liu, Yi Yang, Yonggang Hao, Moran Xu, Chong Du, Zhang Guangxin, Peng Qi
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.136311

Research Groups

• Key Laboratory of Arid Climate Change and Reducing Disaster, Lanzhou University
• State Key Laboratory of Hydroscience and Engineering, Tsinghua University
• Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Short Summary

This study investigates the impacts of climate change on rain-on-snow events and spring agricultural drought in Northeast China. The results show that climate change has significantly increased the frequency and intensity of rain-on-snow events, leading to severe spring agricultural droughts.

Objective

• Investigate the effects of climate change on rain-on-snow events and spring agricultural droughts in Northeast China

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Regional scale, focusing on Northeast China
• Temporal Scale: Long-term (1980-2019) with a focus on recent trends (2000-2019)

Methodology and Data

• Models used: The study employed the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to simulate precipitation patterns and the Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) for hydrological modeling.
• Data sources: The study utilized daily precipitation data from 1980 to 2019, obtained from a combination of satellite observations (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission, TRMM), reanalysis datasets (National Centers for Environmental Prediction, NCEP), and in-situ measurements.

Main Results

• Climate change has significantly increased the frequency and intensity of rain-on-snow events in Northeast China.
• The study found a 20% increase in spring agricultural droughts between 2000 and 2019 compared to the previous two decades.
• The results also indicate that climate change has altered the timing and duration of snowmelt, leading to earlier and more prolonged spring droughts.

Contributions

• This study provides new insights into the impacts of climate change on rain-on-snow events and spring agricultural droughts in Northeast China, highlighting the need for adaptive water management strategies.
• The findings have significant implications for regional agriculture, water resources management, and ecosystem services.

Funding

• National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51979223)
• Key Research Program of Frontier Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. QYZDY-SSW-DQC012)

Citation

@article{Zhenyuan2026Impacts,
  author = {Zhenyuan, Lei and Liu, Jia and Yang, Yi and Hao, Yonggang and Xu, Moran and Du, Chong and Guangxin, Zhang and Qi, Peng},
  title = {Impacts of climate change on rain-on-snow events and spring agricultural drought in Northeast China},
  journal = {Journal of Hydrology},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.136311},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.136311}
}