Characteristics of rapid temperature flip events based on hybrid regionalization and spatiotemporal composite index clustering

LIU Kanglong; CAO Qing; HUANG Xiao; LIU Junjiang

doi:10.13205/j.hjgc.202609017

Volume 44 Issue 9

Sep. 2026

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LIU Kanglong, CAO Qing, HUANG Xiao, LIU Junjiang. Characteristics of rapid temperature flip events based on hybrid regionalization and spatiotemporal composite index clustering[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2026, 44(9): 161-170. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202609017

Citation:

LIU Kanglong, CAO Qing, HUANG Xiao, LIU Junjiang. Characteristics of rapid temperature flip events based on hybrid regionalization and spatiotemporal composite index clustering[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2026, 44(9): 161-170. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202609017

Citation:

LIU Kanglong, CAO Qing, HUANG Xiao, LIU Junjiang. Characteristics of rapid temperature flip events based on hybrid regionalization and spatiotemporal composite index clustering[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2026, 44(9): 161-170. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202609017

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Characteristics of rapid temperature flip events based on hybrid regionalization and spatiotemporal composite index clustering

doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202609017

LIU Kanglong^1,2,
CAO Qing^{1,2
,
,},
HUANG Xiao^3,4,
LIU Junjiang⁵

1. Key Laboratory of Hydrometeorological Disaster Mechanism and Warning of Ministry of Water Resources/Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters, Nanjing 210044, China;
2. School of Hydrology and Water Resources, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China;
3. Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China;
4. School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen 518000, China;
5. National Meteorological Information Centre, Beijing 100081, China

Received Date: 2025-12-23
Available Online: 2026-11-05

Abstract

Abstract

Rapid temperature flips， characterized by abrupt transitions between warm and cold extremes within a short period， pose substantial challenges to regional climate variability， ecosystem stability， and socio-economic systems. Based on the CN05.1 High-Resolution Daily Gridded Temperature Dataset over China for 1979—2021 and concurrent reanalysis atmospheric circulation data， a regional-scale identification framework for rapid temperature flip events was developed by explicitly accounting for their temporal evolution and spatial continuity. By integrating rotated empirical orthogonal function （REOF） analysis with K-means clustering， China was divided into 14 homogeneous temperature regions. Within representative regions， rapid temperature flip events were further classified using a set of composite indices， including event duration， spatial coverage， transition time， and transition intensity. Composite analyses were then conducted to examine the evolution of atmospheric dynamical and thermodynamical variables before and after different types of events. The results reveal pronounced regional differences in both the frequency and structural characteristics of rapid temperature flips across China. Overall， cold-related flips occur more frequently than warm-related flips， with higher event frequency observed over the Pearl River Basin， the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River， and the Hetao region （the Great Bend of the Yellow River）. Distinct event types exhibit clear separations in spatial scale， persistence， and intensity. Despite these differences， the lifecycle evolution of precipitation， vertical motion， geopotential height， surface pressure， and specific humidity anomalies shows strong consistency across event types， indicating that rapid temperature flips can be understood within a unified large-scale circulation adjustment framework. These findings advance the understanding of rapid temperature reversals at the regional scale and provide a scientific basis for mechanism studies， monitoring strategies， and impact assessments of rapid temperature flip events.
- rapid temperature flips,
- regionalization,
- cluster analysis,
- atmospheric circulation analysis,
- spatially continuous events

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References(24)

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