The Relationship Between Summer Rainfall over China and Spring NDVI Variability in Tibetan Plateau

The influences of spring NDVI variability over Tibetan Plateau on China summer rainfall and its mechanism are investigated through the correlation analysis and composite analysis using normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), the monthly mean rainfall and the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis datasets for the period of 1982-2001. Overall, the correlation coefficient between spring NDVI and summer rainfall takes on a spatial distribution pattern " + - +" from northwest to southeast. An obvious annual rainfall difference is also observed in high and low spring NDVI over Tibetan Plateau by composite analysis. The cause for the different regions in rainfall maybe is general circulation variability over China and other related regions, which is attributed to heat source variability in Tibetan Plateau that originated from spring NDVI variability.