Increased precipitation variability at multi-timescales in China since the 1960s

The frequency and intensity of precipitation have changed significantly in China as previously reported. A relevant behavior is the variability of precipitation, which describes temporal fluctuations of precipitation events. Yet it remains unclear how precipitation variability has changed at different timescales over China. In this study, we show that precipitation variability has increased significantly since the 1960s, averaging 2.3 % per decade across China. The increase exists across the synoptic to intraseasonal timescales. The increase in precipitation variability is evident in all seasons with the greatest rate in winter in percentage, which is approximately three times as much as that in summer. Regionally, precipitation variability has risen significantly in northwestern, northeastern, and southeastern China, but has decreased insignificantly along the wet-dry transition belt extending from the north to southwestern China. Compared to trends in mean and extreme precipitation, the increase of precipitation variability is more widespread and with greater magnitudes. The changes in the top 10 % extreme precipitation events contribute ∼75 % of the amplification of precipitation variability nationwide. In addition to long-term trend, summer precipitation variability over eastern China is modulated by the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. This study revealed robust increases in precipitation variability over China since the 1960s across different timescales, seasons, and regions, which have far-reaching impacts on droughts, floods, and water resource management.