Entropy-Based Investigation on the Precipitation Variability over the Hexi Corridor in China

The spatial and temporal variability of precipitation time series were investigated for the Hexi Corridor, in Northwest China, by analyzing the entropy information. The examinations were performed on monthly, seasonal, and annual timescales based on 29 meteorological stations for the period of 1961–2015. The apportionment entropy and intensity entropy were used to analyze the regional precipitation characteristics, including the intra-annual and decadal distribution of monthly and annual precipitation amounts, as well as the number of precipitation days within a year and a decade. The regions with high precipitation variability are found in the western part of the Hexi corridor and with less precipitation, and may have a high possibility of drought occurrence. The variability of the number of precipitation days decreased from the west to the east of the corridor. Higher variability, in terms of both of precipitation amount and intensity during crop-growing season, has been found in the recent decade. In addition, the correlation between entropy-based precipitation variability and the crop yield is also compared, and the crop yield in historical periods is found to be correlated with the precipitation intensity disorder index in the middle reaches of the Hexi corridor.