Spatiotemporal evolution and drivers of diurnal temperature range extremes in recent decades
4 affiliations
- 1Key Laboratory of Eco-environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region, Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China; State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arable Land in China/Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
- 2Department of Earth System Science, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System Modelling, Institute for Global Change Studies, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
- 3Key Laboratory of Eco-environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region, Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
- 4Key Laboratory of Eco-environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region, Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China; Corresponding author.
Abstract
Diurnal temperature range (DTR) extremes — defined as DTR exceeding the historical 90th-percentile threshold — pose substantial risks to human health. Using global observations, we uncover a reversal in such extremes in the early 1980s: their frequency and cumulative intensity declined prior to this period but increased markedly thereafter over most land areas. Variations in cumulative intensity are primarily driven by changes in the frequency of DTR extremes. Composite analysis shows that such extremes are associated with local thermodynamic conditions that elevate daytime maximum temperatures and lower nighttime minimum temperatures, characterized by enhanced surface shortwave radiation, reduced cloud cover, soil drying, and precipitation deficits. Among these factors, widespread reductions in cloud cover emerge as the dominant driver of the intensification of such extremes since the 1980s. Spatially, cumulative intensity is higher across mid-to high-latitude and humid regions, largely controlled by surface shortwave radiation. Furthermore, urban population exposure has increased more rapidly than rural exposure over the past six decades. These findings provide a basis for assessing potential human health risks associated with extreme temperature variability.
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BibTeX
@article{yang2026spatiotemporal,
title = {{Spatiotemporal evolution and drivers of diurnal temperature range extremes in recent decades}},
author = {Jie Yang and Si-Bo Duan and Yitao Li and Xiaoxiao Min and Jing Li and Wenping Yu and Pei Leng and Xiangyang Liu and Meng Liu and Zhao-Liang Li and Tinggang Zhou},
journal = {Weather and Climate Extremes},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.wace.2026.100965},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wace.2026.100965},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Spatiotemporal evolution and drivers of diurnal temperature range extremes in recent decades
AU - Jie Yang
AU - Si-Bo Duan
AU - Yitao Li
AU - Xiaoxiao Min
AU - Jing Li
AU - Wenping Yu
AU - Pei Leng
AU - Xiangyang Liu
AU - Meng Liu
AU - Zhao-Liang Li
AU - Tinggang Zhou
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/30
JO - Weather and Climate Extremes
DO - 10.1016/j.wace.2026.100965
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wace.2026.100965
AB - Diurnal temperature range (DTR) extremes — defined as DTR exceeding the historical 90th-percentile threshold — pose substantial risks to human health. Using global observations, we uncover a reversal in such extremes in the early 1980s: their frequency and cumulative intensity declined prior to this period but increased markedly thereafter over most land areas. Variations in cumulative intensity are primarily driven by changes in the frequency of DTR extremes. Composite analysis shows that such extremes are associated with local thermodynamic conditions that elevate daytime maximum temperatures and lower nighttime minimum temperatures, characterized by enhanced surface shortwave radiation, reduced cloud cover, soil drying, and precipitation deficits. Among these factors, widespread reductions in cloud cover emerge as the dominant driver of the intensification of such extremes since the 1980s. Spatially, cumulative intensity is higher across mid-to high-latitude and humid regions, largely controlled by surface shortwave radiation. Furthermore, urban population exposure has increased more rapidly than rural exposure over the past six decades. These findings provide a basis for assessing potential human health risks associated with extreme temperature variability.
SN - 2212-0947
ER -