Abstract: Based on the monthly average temperature series of Huiyang (urban area) and Pingtan (rural area) from 1961 to 2004, temperature changes in the urban and rural areas were analyzed. The results show that both urban and rural annual and seasonal temperatures exhibited increasing trends, with increasing rates of 0.21 and 0.13 ℃/10 a in the urban and rural areas, respectively, and with a most remarkable warming trend in winter. Both the increasing rate and range of temperature in the urban area were larger than those in the rural area. Urbanization, industrialization and human activities all significantly contributed to the city's temperature rise, and the contribution ratios of annual and seasonal heat island effects to the total temperature rise ranged from 28.9% to 56.3%. The annual and seasonal mean temperature of the urban station increased 0.19 to 27 ℃ in the last 10 years (1995-2004) relative to the previous 34 years (1961-1994) due to urban heat island effect, and the increase in temperature due to global warming ranged from 0.17 to 0.73 ℃. The heat island effect had a significant influence on the abrupt change of the city's temperature in the 1990s.

Key words: global warming, urban heat island effect, temperature change, Huizhou, urban area, rural area