THE ROLE OF ATMOSPHERIC CIRCULATION PATTERNS IN AGROCLIMATE VARIABILITY IN FINLAND, 1961–2011 |
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| Authors: | MASOUD IRANNEZHAD DELIANG CHEN BJØRN KLØVE |
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| Institution: | 1. Water Resources and Environmental Engineering Research Group, Faculty of Technology, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland;2. Remote Sensing and Water Resources Lab, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon, USA;3. Regional Climate Group, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden |
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| Abstract: | This study evaluates interannual variations and trends in growing season daily temperature sum and daily precipitation sum in Finland during 1961–2011, and their connections to well known atmospheric circulation patterns. Changes in summer (June–August) climate partially explain changes in growing season daily temperature sum and daily precipitation sum over Finland, which naturally decreased from south to north. On a national scale, growing season warmed and became wetter during 1961–2011, as growing season daily temperature sum and daily precipitation sum significantly (p < 0.05) increased by 5.01 ± 3.17°C year–1 and 1.39 ± 0.91 mm year–1, respectively. The East Atlantic pattern was the most influential atmospheric circulation pattern for variations in growing season daily temperature sum (rho = 0.40) across Finland and the East Atlantic/West Russia pattern was most influential for growing season daily precipitation sum variability (rho = –0.54). There were significant (p < 0.05) increasing trends in growing season daily temperature sum and daily precipitation sum throughout Finland during 1961–2011. Increased growing season daily temperature sum was mainly observed in northern, central, western, eastern and coastal areas of south‐western Finland. This warming was positively associated with the East Atlantic pattern in the north, centre and south, but negatively associated with the East Atlantic/West Russia pattern in eastern Finland. Increased GSP mostly occurred in southern, eastern, western, central, northern and north‐western Finland. These wetting trends were positively correlated with the East Atlantic pattern in the north and negatively correlated with the Polar pattern in the south and the East Atlantic/West Russia pattern in the east, west, centre and north‐east of Finland. The overall agroclimatic year‐to‐year variability in Finland between 1961 and 2011 was mostly linked to variations in the East Atlantic and East Atlantic/West Russia patterns. |
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| Keywords: | agroclimate variability trend analysis atmospheric circulation patterns growing season Finland |
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