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Changes in spatiotemporal drought characteristics from 1961 to 2017 in northeastern maize-growing regions, China

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Abstract

A drought is a disaster that poses great threats to maize production. Thus, it is vital to study the spatiotemporal evolution of the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) in the maize-growing regions in Northeast China (MGRNC). Here, we use the meteorological data of each growth stage from 1961 to 2017. This work aimed to analyze the spatiotemporal variation characteristics of the SPEI in MGRNC using the Mann–Kendall (MK) trend test, MK mutation point test, and Morlet wavelet method. The results indicated that from 1961 to 2017, the average SPEI values in Liaoning and Eastern Inner Mongolia showed a downward trend (the linear trend rates were − 0.02/10a and − 0.04/10a, respectively); however, no clear trend was observed in SPEI values in Heilongjiang and Jilin. There was a main cycle of approximately 20 a and a subcycle of approximately 7–10a for SPEI values in the whole growth stage and the sowing–seedling stage in MGRNC from 1961 to 2017, while the SPEI changes in the other three growth stages were inconsistent with the whole growth stage. The spatial distribution pattern of SPEI values decreased obviously from northeast to southwest during the whole growing stage. The drought frequencies during the different growth stages indicated that it was relatively dry at the heading–flowering stage. With the development of the growth stage, the frequency of droughts decreased significantly. The values of drought frequency and relative drought area for each sub-region in the study area occurred in the following order: Eastern Inner Mongolia > Jilin > Liaoning > Heilongjiang. The frequencies of mild to moderate droughts were 48.16%, 39.08%, 38.41%, and 37.3%, respectively. Identifying the spatiotemporal pattern of droughts in maize areas can provide scientific information for decision-makers to form strategies to withstand droughts and prevent disasters.

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Acknowledgements

This research has been supported partially by the Natural Science Foundation of Liaoning Province (2021-MS-233), Key R&D projects in Liaoning Province (agriculture and industrialization) (2021JH2/10200022), and the National Postdoctoral Grant Program (2019M661128).

Funding

This research has been supported partially by the Natural Science Foundation of Liaoning Province (2021-MS-233), Key R&D projects in Liaoning Province (agriculture and industrialization) (2021JH2/10200022).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Water Resources and Architectural Engineering, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China

    Dong Ge & Xiaodong Gao

  2. Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, 712100, China

    Xiaodong Gao

  3. College of Water Conservancy, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, China

    Xinguang Wei

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  1. Dong Ge
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XG and XW designed and initiated the experiments; DG wrote the article and collected the data; DG processed the data and prepared the figures; XG and XW helped revise the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Ge, D., Gao, X. & Wei, X. Changes in spatiotemporal drought characteristics from 1961 to 2017 in northeastern maize-growing regions, China. Irrig Sci 42, 163–177 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00271-023-00893-4

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