A 4 km daily gridded meteorological dataset for China from 2000 to 2020

Multi-variate gridded meteorological data with high spatial resolution play a key role in studies related to climate change. This study constructed a 4 km daily gridded meteorological dataset for mainland of China (China Daily Meteorological Dataset; CDMet) from 2000 to 2020. The dataset includes nine meteorological variables: 2-meter air temperature (maximum, minimum, and mean temperatures), total precipitation, skin temperature, 10-meter wind speed, relative humidity, surface pressure, and sunshine duration. CDMet was generated using an adaptive interpolation scheme, which employed thin-plate spline and random forest methods to construct the interpolation model. Six combinations of location and terrain information were designed and used as covariates in the model together with reanalysis data. Validation with independent observation stations and existing datasets showed that CDMet has acceptable accuracy, reasonable seasonal variability, and precise spatial distribution, and its accuracy is comparable to that of other datasets. Due to its comprehensive variables and high resolution, CDMet can be used as input data for hydrological, agricultural, and ecological models.