Agricultural influences on evaporation paradox in China

The air temperature increased and the pan evaporation decreased from 1960 to 2001 in China, and the evaporation paradox exist. Using the data from 251 meteorological stations in regions without significant agricultural influences and from 165 meteorological stations in regions with significant agricultural influences divided by land use, the trends of pan evaporations and air temperature changes from 1960 to 2001 were evaluated contrastively. The differences of evaporation paradox in regions with different agricultural influences in China were analyzed. The increasing trends of air temperature over meteorological stations in regions with significant agricultural influences were weaker than that in regions without significant agricultural influences, while the pan evaporation appeared decreasing trends, and the differences were more obvious in arid or semi-arid areas in North China. The differences of evaporation paradox over different agricultural regions were influenced by agricultural activities such as irrigation, and should be taken into account.