"Climate Change 2007? The Physical Science Basis", the Working Group I contribution to the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) was launched on February 2, 2007. The report clearly indicates that the updated 100-year (1906-2005) linear trend of global surface temperature is 0.74℃. The linear warming trend over the last 50 years is 0.13℃per decade. Eleven of the last twelve years (1995-2006) rank among the 12 warmest years since 1850. Warming of the climate system is unequivocal. The report also indicates that most of the observed warming of the climate system over the last 50 years is very likely due to human activities. IPCC assessment reports summarize peer-reviewed and comprehensive findings from international scientific communities, represent the current level of scientific understanding of global climate change research, and provide an important basis for international climate regime and relevant national policies.

The spatial and temporal variations of large-scale atmospheric moisture sinks over southern China in spring during 1958-2004 are studied based on the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data. The results reveal that the two main anomalous centers of moisture sinks lay in the central and eastern parts of South China, and the border region of Guangxi, Hunan and Guizhou Provinces, respectively. The first anomalous center showed both remarkably interannual and interdecadal variations with the interdecadal variance being dominant, while the second center mainly displayed interannual variation. When the southwesterly (northeasterly) moisture flux over southern China and its vicinity increased, then more (less) water vapor was transported from the low latitudes to the atmosphere over southern China, which resulted in strong (weak) atmospheric moisture sinks over the above-regions in southern China.

The meteorological data (1959-2003) from 17 weather stations in the area of Tianshan Mountainous are analyzed to explore the trend characteristics in temperature and snow cover. The abrupt change test of the snow cover depth is carried out by using Mann-Kendall method, and the spatial distribution of maximum snow cover depth is also given by employing the GIDS interpolation and the DEM data. The results show that winter mean temperature had a rising trend at a rate of 0.44℃/10 a, which is closely related to the mean temperature of the Northern Hemisphere ( r = 0.54). Winter minimum temperature increased at a rate of 0.79℃/10 a, greater than that for winter mean temperature. Maximum snow cover depth in winter has obviously increased at a rate of 1.15 cm/10 a, and in comparison with long-term normal, it has on the average increased by about 16% during the period of 1991 to 2003. The result of the abrupt change test of snow cover depth indicates that the abrupt change occurred in 1977. There were two places, Zhaoshu and Nileke, located in the Western Tianshan Mountains, with the greatest snow cover depth augment of 39.3% and 39.7%, respectively. There was a primary periodicity of about 2.8 years for snow cover. In addition, snow days with the snow cover depth more than 10 cm increased distinctly. There was no obvious change in the beginning and ending dates of snow cover.

By using the Ningxia summer torrential rain days data, the Yinchuan sounding data and the NCEP/NCAR reanalyzed data, the evolutional characteristics and the cause of Ningxia torrential rain days are analyzed under the background of climate warming. The results show that both annual torrential rain days and annual mean temperature displayed a consistent trend, which means that with increase in annual mean temperature, the annual torrential rain days also increased obviously. Further analysis results indicate that atmospheric potential instability has been grown in the daytime in both July and August after the climate warming (1986) of Ningxia, but in the nighttime it has been grown in July but decayed in August. Therefore, the climate warming not only caused more obvious diurnal variation of the vertical distribution of atmospheric temperature in Yinchuan, but also resulted in the increase of torrential rain days and in more obvious diurnal variation of the torrential rain in Ningxia.

The middle of the farming-grazing zone of the northern China is a typical belt region with the ecological frangibility, but is an important naturally and ecologically protective barrier for the North China Plain. This paper presents the results of the temperature and precipitation changes during 1951-2005 over this region. It is concluded that there was an increasing trend of the annual mean temperature at a growth rate of 0.4℃ per ten years, and the increment in temperature was the highest in winter, followed by spring, summer and autumn. There was a decreasing trend of annual precipitation from 1950s to 1960s and an increasing trend from the 1990s to the present. Precipitation in summer showed a similar trend as the annual precipitation, and precipitation in autumn and winter no evident change trend. The extreme events have more frequently happened since the 1990s because the high temperature and dry weather continuously increased, which is detrimental to the development of agriculture in the study area.

By using the monthly mean temperatures at 88 meteorological stations of Guangxi Province during the period of 1960-2005, the frequencies of abnormal high and low monthly temperatures have been computed, and the spatial and temporal characteristics of the abnormal high and low temperatures and their changes analyzed. The results show that the frequency of abnormal high temperature has a prominent stage characteristic, and it occurs frequently in Guangxi in recent 10 years. The frequency of abnormal low temperature has a liner decreasing trend, and it has occurred less frequently in Guangxi since 1989. Studying the laws of abnormal monthly temperature is beneficial to improve the skill of short-term climate prediction.

By using the Thonthwaite method, peak width at half height method, GIS technique and Kriging method, a comprehensive analysis is performed involving the effects of climate change on boundaries of eco-geographical regions for main forestry species in Heilongjiang Province. The results show that under the conditions of climate warming, the thermal boundary of temperate zone and warm-temperate zone moved towards east and north, and the thermal boundary of cool-temperate zone and temperate zone moved northwards significantly. Meanwhile, all the optimum and potential distributing regions of Larix gmelinii, Spruce fir forest and Pinus koraiensis have the tendency of moving northwards. The eco-geographical distributing area of Larix gmelinii reduced 6.28×104 km2, and on the contrary, those of Spruce fir forest and Pinus koraiensis increased 1.57×104 km2, respectively.

According to related studies, mean daily temperatures of 5.87℃ and 15.17℃, and effective accumulated temperatures of 3846.28 d·℃ and 842.95 d·℃ were taken in this paper as the low limit temperature index and effective accumulated temperature index for growth of Oncomelania (snail) and Schistosome, respectively. Considering 1986 a division and using daily mean temperature data during 1950-2003, the changes of start and end days when five-day moving average temperature steadily passed 5.87 ℃ and 15.17℃ under the 80 percent guaranty rate, and the effective accumulated temperatures for the growth of Oncomelania and Schistosome were computed year by year for each of 220 meteorological stations in the region of 18°-41°N, 99°-124°E, respectively. The variations of their growing period and effective accumulated temperature before and after 1986 were analyzed by means of ArcGIS8.3. The results suggest that the climate change in 1950-2003 has possibly increased the density of snail and prolonged the schistosomiasis infection period.

The annual mean temperature of China in 2006 was 9.9℃, which was 1.1℃ above the climatology (1971-2000 mean value). The year 2006 was the warmest year in China since 1951 (reliable meteorological records). In association with the higher temperature, China experienced a deficient rainfall year, severe drought and heat wave happened in Chongqing and Sichuan of Southwest China in summer. The meteorological disasters occurred frequently in 2006. The economic losses caused by tropical cyclones and droughts were the largest in all disasters. Six intensive tropical cyclones made landfall in China with severe damage, and the number of death caused by landing typhoons was ranked as number one in recent 10 years.

The Stern Review published in October 2006 has gained wide responses at international level. In this paper, a preliminary assessment is conducted to summarize and analyze the international background of its preparation, the methodology and the key conclusions. Comments and opinions from a variety of reviewers, including government, academic institutions, industry and environmental NGOs are comprehensively reviewed to highlight the possible impacts of the Stern Review on post-Kyoto climate negotiations. In conclusion, it is argued that the emissions scenarios and market-based policy recipes provided in the Stern Review could not meet the development needs of developing countries, and their concerns on a series of important issues such as capital sources, technical transfer and adaptation are ignored.