Plant Hardiness Zone Map in Korea and an Analysis of the Distribution of Evergreen Trees in Zone 7b

Background and objective: This study was conducted to establish a Plant Hardiness Zone (PHZ) map, investigate the effect of global warming on changes in PHZ, and elucidate the difference in the distribution of evergreen trees between the central and southern region within hardiness Zone 7b in Korea. Methods: Mean annual extreme minimum temperature (EMT) and related temperature fluctuation data for 40 years (1981 to 2020) in each of the meteorological observation points were extracted from the Open MET Data Portal of the Korea Meteorological Administration. Using EMT data from 60 meteorological observation points, PHZs were classified according to temperature range in the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. Changes in PHZs for each decade related to the effects of global warming were analyzed. Temperature fluctuation before and after the day of EMT were analyzed for 4 areas of Seoul, Suwon, Suncheon, and Jinju falling under Zone 7b. For statistical analysis, descriptive statistics and ANOVA were performed using the IBM SPSS 22 Statistics software package. Results: Plant hardiness zones in Korea ranged from 6a to 9b. Over four decades, changes to warmer PHZ occurred in 10 areas, especially in colder ones. Based on the analysis of daily temperature fluctuation, the duration of sub-zero temperatures was at least 2 days in Seoul and Suwon, while daily maximum temperatures were above zero in Suncheon and Jinju before and after EMT day. Conclusion: It was found that the duration of sub-zero temperatures in a given area is an important factor affecting the distribution of evergreen trees in PHZ 7b.

Effects of Urbanization on Regional Extreme-Temperature Changes in China, 1960–2016

Urbanization in China has been expanding dramatically since 1978, significantly affecting the extreme temperature changes in cities, which is a vital indicator of urban climate change. To assess urban-related effect on regional extreme-temperature changes in China, this study employed high-resolution land use data to divide meteorological stations into rural stations, suburban stations, and urban stations, and evaluated the annual and seasonal changes in extreme minimum temperature (TNN), mean temperature (Tavg) and extreme maximum temperature (TXX) at each meteorological station. The result revealed that extreme temperature indices (TNN, TXX) and Tavg increased significantly from 1960 to 2016 with varied degrees in different seasons and different regions. Extreme temperature indices in high latitudes increased more rapidly than in low latitudes; while the trends in summer are slower than in other seasons. Urbanization effects on the trends of TNN, Tavg and TXX were all statistically significant, but urbanization effects on TNN and Tavg were more significant than TXX. The urbanization effects were more significant in low altitudes, especially in North, South, Northwest and Northeast China. In North, Northwest and Northeast China, the urban-related effects on temperature increase were mainly observed in spring and winter, but in South China, the urban-related effects were more evident in summer. This study is valuable for sustainable urban planning in China.

Comparison of Cold Hardiness Evaluation of Woody Species by ELLT and TTCLT

Cold hardiness evaluation is important for screening woody species in cold areas. We compared cold hardiness by estimating the 50% lethal temperature (LT50) using electrolyte leakage test (ELLT50) and triphenyltetrazolium chloride test (TTCLT50) for 26 woody species in the Bashang region of China. One-year-old shoots were collected in January and exposed to five subfreezing temperatures in a programmable temperature and humidity chamber. LT50 was estimated by fitting relative electrolyte leakage and percentage of dead tissue against test temperature. For all tested species, triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining of the pith was weak and the cambium TTCLT50 was lower than the extreme minimum temperature (−37 °C) recorded in the region. The cambium TTCLT50 and the sd were lower than that for the phloem and xylem. The phloem TTCLT50 was lower than the xylem TTCLT50, and the two sds were similar. The ELLT50 showed no significant correlation with any TTCLT50. For most species, the ELLT50 was higher than the cambium and phloem TTCLT50 and was not significant different with the xylem TTCLT50. The ELLT50 showed higher sd than any tissue TTCLT50. Based on results obtained in this study, when choosing cold hardiness of single stem tissue as an indicator for screening woody species, the xylem should be considered first, followed by the phloem; the cambium and pith were unsuitable. The cold hardiness estimated by ELLT50 was more suitable as indicator for screening woody species than that of stem tissue in winter estimated by TTCLT50.

Effects of Urbanization on Regional Extreme-Temperature Change in China，1960-2016

<p>Fast urbanization is one of the aggrandizement factors to global warming, but the effects of urbanization on extreme temperature change is still not quantitatively assessed. Based on high-resolution land cover map, this study classified 613 meteorological stations in China into three classes, namely, urban station, suburban station and rural station to simulate the trends of extreme minimum temperature (TNN), mean temperature (Tavg) and extreme maximum temperature (TXX) of each meteorological station. The roles of urbanization in temperature change in the period 1960-2016 were then assessed. The results indicated that annual temperature increased significantly, but seasonal temperature increased with varied degrees. Temperature in high latitudes increased faster than that in low latitudes. Temperature in summer increased slower than that in other seasons. The effects of urbanization on TNN, Tavg and TXX were all statistically significant, but the effects on TNN and Tavg were more noticeable than TXX. The aggrandizement effects of urbanization presented by low-altitude meteorological stations are significant in South China and East China for all temperature indices, despite no statistical significance presented by high-altitude meteorological stations in Southwest China. This paper can provide a reference for understanding the regional temperature changes and the effects of urbanization on its changes in China.</p>

Temperature Change and Its Elevation Dependency in the Source Region of the Yangtze River and Yellow River

The study of temperature change and its elevation dependency in the source region of the Yangtze River and Yellow River have been insufficient owing to the lack of adequate observation stations and long-term climatic data. In this study five temperature indices of 32 stations from 1961 to 2007 in and near the source region are used. The 32 stations all have experienced significant warming; the warming amplitudes are higher than the mean warming amplitude of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau. The warming amplitudes and the numbers of stations showing significant warming trends in mean minimum temperature and extreme minimum temperature are higher than that of the mean maximum temperature and extreme maximum temperature. The elevation dependency of climatic warming and the amount of significant warming stations are not obvious; the influence of human activity and urbanization may be higher. The warming amplitudes of 26 stations above 3000 m tend to be uniform, and there is no significant law at 6 stations below 3000 m. On the contrary, the ratio of stations showing significant warming in minimum temperature above 4000 m is far less than that of the stations below 4000 m.