Spatial and temporal variations of precipitation at different grades across China’s climatic zones from 1960 to 2021

Global climate change and human activities are significantly altering precipitation patterns, with increasingly complex spatiotemporal variations observed in diverse climate zones such as China. This study used the precipitation data from the China Meteorological Administration to analyse the spatial and temporal variations of precipitation at different grades across various climate zones in China. We found that precipitation increased by 0.05 mm/year, while the number of rainfall days decreased by 0.12 days/year in China. Notably, different grades of precipitation exhibited significant regional differences across various climatic zones in China. In the subtropical monsoon climate zone, R95pTOP and R95p exhibited a significant increasing trend. In the plateau mountain climate zone, the precipitation showed a significant increasing trend. Rainy days decreased in the temperate monsoon zone but showed a slight increase in the temperate continental zone. We found that precipitation in China exhibited a trend of shifting from lower intensity to higher intensity, with precipitation patterns demonstrating a more pronounced polarisation towards extremes. These findings are vital for policymakers in formulating sustainable development policies in response to climate change, especially in the context of global warming.