2. Climate of the Loess Plateau

The Loess Plateau in China covers an area of ca. 640,000 km², extending between 34° N and 40° N/100° E and 115° E, which is the middle region of China’s Yellow River. The climate of Loess Plateau is strongly influenced by latitude, longitude, and topography. It has a typical continental monsoon climate. Winters are cold and dry, and most rainfall occurs during the summer (June to September). Annual precipitation is approximately 400 mm (minimum 150 mm, maximum 750 mm). Under China’s physical geography classification, the Loess Plateau is classified as the Loess Plateau sub-region in the North China region. The most significant aspect of its climatological characteristics is the distinct seasonality of temperature and precipitation distribution. According to the aridity index (the value obtained when dividing annual precipitation by potential evapotranspiration) (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005) Ecosystems and human well-being: desertification synthesis. World Resource Institute, Washington, DC), the Loess Plateau belongs to a semiarid area.