Climate change and water resources security in North China

The issue of water shortage and related eco-environmental degradation in North China is one of the major emerging problems in China. As runoff generated from mountain areas decreases significantly and water resources are over-utilized, serious water and eco-environmental problems are observed. Examples are dried-up river systems, decline of groundwater tables, lake and wetland degradation, water pollution, etc. This paper addresses the problem of climate change and water resources security in North China. Based on a long-term data set, it was found that precipitation in North China had dry and wet periods over the last 20 years. However, the scale of this variation has decreased significantly since the 1960s. The air temperature of North China during the 1990s was significantly higher than during the 1980s, and the trend in precipitation change in North China has been negative for 30 years. Further research shows that North China will continue to become dryer until 2010. After 2020, however, it may change to a wetter regime. Thus, climate change will be one of the major issues impacting the socio-economic development of North China in the future.