Temps Rising, Extreme Weather Increasing In Yangtze Delta - Xinhua

The Yangtze River Delta, a major economic engine in eastern China, has seen its annual average temperature move up and disastrous weather continuously increase, due partly to global climate changes and accelerating urbanization.

More high-rise buildings, changes in land use and growing energy consumption have also contributed to the climate changes in cities on the Delta, said Tang Xu, director of the municipal meteorological bureau of Shanghai, at a symposium on meteorological science held here Thursday. Over the past decade, the annual average temperature rose 0.12 to 0.4 degrees Celsius, which was obvious in Shanghai, Ningbo and Suzhou.

Over the past 30 years, Shanghai had an annual average of only nine days with high temperature. But the figure has increased to 17 over the past 10 years and to 27 in the last five years. In 2003, days of high temperature numbered 40, and 31 over the past few months. Meanwhile, the Delta has suffered more disastrous weather. Overthe past 11 years, Shanghai reported 463 cases of disastrous weather, including storms, hails and tornados.

Tang Xu said the climate changes on the Yangtze River Delta were mainly caused by global warming and regional urbanization. According to 30 years of observation on the Delta, areas experiencing temperature increases coincided with those where cities cluster. Currently, there are more than 4,000 high-rise buildings each with a height of at least 24 meters, including over 1,600 buildings each with more than 20 storeys and 200-odd skyscrapers each with more than 30 storeys.

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http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-09/30/content_482177.htm