Characteristics of climate change from 1961 to 2008 in Kunshan, Jiangsu province

Based on air temperature, precipitation and sunshine duration data from 1961 to 2008 in Kunshan, the climate characteristics were analyzed by the linear trend method and sliding average method. The results indicate that annual and seasonal air temperatures are the increasing trends, especially in spring, then in winter. The increasing rates of the minimum annual air temperature are higher than those of the maximum air temperature. In general, precipitation is the increasing trend. Precipitation increases obviously in winter and summer, while it decreases weakly in spring and autumn. Inter-annual variation of precipitation is obvious. Annual and seasonal sunshine durations are the decreasing trends, especially in summer.