Local air temperature tolerance: a sensible basis for estimating climate variability

The customary representation of climate using sample moments is generally biased due to the noticeably nonstationary behaviour of many climate series. In this study, we introduce a moment-free climate representation based on a statistical model fitted to a long-term daily air temperature anomaly series. This model allows us to separate the climate and weather scale variability in the series. As a result, the climate scale can be characterized using the mean annual cycle of series and local air temperature tolerance, where the latter is computed using the fitted model. The representation of weather scale variability is specified using the frequency and the range of outliers based on the tolerance. The scheme is illustrated using five long-term air temperature records observed by different European meteorological stations.     

Local temperature estimation under climate change

Summary A methodology to estimate the space-time distribution of daily mean temperature under climate change is developed and applied to a central Nebraska case study. The approach is based on the analysis of the Markov properties of atmospheric circulation pattern (CP) types, and a stochastic linkage between daily (here 500hPa) CP types and daily mean temperatures. Historical data and general circulation model (GCM) output of daily CP corresponding to 1 × CO₂ and 2 × CO₂ scenarios are considered. The relationship between spatially averaged geopotential height of the 500 hPa surface — within each CP type — and daily mean temperature is described by a nonparametric regression technique. Time series of daily mean temperatures corresponding to each of these cases are simulated and their statistical properties are compared. Under the climate of central Nebraska, the space-time response of daily mean temperature to global climate change is variable. In general, a warmer climate appears to cause about 5°C increase in the winter months, a smaller increase in other months with no change in July and August. The sensitivity of the results to the GCM utilized should be considered.On leave from the Department of Meteorology, Eötvós Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.With 14 Figures     

Impact of peak period visits on the Postojna Cave (Slovenia) microclimate

Cave air temperature, carbon dioxide concentrations in the cave air and external air temperature were analysed at several locations in Postojna Cave over the course of six holiday periods in 2009–2011. The results show that a 1-day increase in visitor numbers from 200 to 3,500 raised the cave air temperature by a maximum of 0.5 °C. The air temperature increases are within the annual range of cave air temperature variations. A fivefold increase in visitor numbers resulted in a carbon dioxide concentration that was at least twice as high as normal. The carbon dioxide concentration increased from 450 to 1,750 ppm (December 2009–January 2010). After 10 days of peak period visits, both the CO₂ concentration and the temperature returned almost to the pre-holiday values. The gradual increase in mean annual air temperature in the cave (2004–2010) is not related to the number of visitors but to outside climate conditions.     

Local recent changes in extreme air temperature

Daily minimum and maximum air temperatures recorded in Naples (1872–1982) and in surrounding areas have been analysed in order to set up a statistical model for investigating climatic changes of extreme air temperature. We have analysed on various time-scales the mean values of minimum air temperature lower than the 10th percentile (Tmin₁₀) and the mean values of the maximum air temperature greater than the 90th percentile (Tmax₉₀). The results have shown for the city: (i) a significant secular trend both for yearly Tmin₁₀ and Tmax₉₀, mostly due to the process of urbanization, that is also responsible for (ii) the ascertained change in the character of the annual cycle, (iii) a reasonable ability to forecast winter Tmin₁₀ and summer Tmax₉₀ in statistical terms using a markovian model, and (iv) a significant 11-yr cycle with an amplitude of 0.5 °C directly related to solar activity which has never been succesfully determined before.     

The climate variabilities of air temperature around the Korean Peninsula

In this study, changes in climatological conditions around the Korean Peninsula are estimated quantitatively using various types of high order statistical analyses. The temperature data collected from Incheon station have been analyzed for the assessment of the climate variation. According to our analysis, the climate changes observed over the Korean Peninsula for the last century are similar to the global observational data in many respects. First of all, the warming trend [ 1.5℃ (100 yr)^-1] and the overall evolving pattern throughout the century are quite similar to each other. The temperature change in the Korean Peninsula is about two to three times larger than that of the global scale which may partially be ascribed to the influence of urbanization at mid and high latitudes. In this work, a new Winter Monsoon Index (WMI) is suggested based on the European continental scale circulation index (EU1) pattern. Our WMI is defined as the normalized sea level pressure (SLP) difference in the winter period between the centers of the East Sea and west of Lake Baikal in Siberia, the two eastern centers of the EU1 action patterns. A strong similarity is found between the time series of the WMI and surface air temperature at Incheon. The WMI has decreased gradually since the 1920s but has shifted to a rapid increasing trend in the last two decades; it was in fact accompanied by a weakening of the Siberian High and a decreasing of the northerly during winter. Our findings of the close correlations between the surface air temperature at Incheon and the WMI strongly indicate that our newly suggested index is unique and can be used as an efficient tool to predict climate variability in Korea.     

Long-term variations in surface air pressure and surface air temperature in the Northern Hemisphere mid-latitudes

The spatiotemporal variability of surface air pressure and surface air temperature in the Northern Hemisphere troposphere in 1990-2014 is described. In 2005 the low-frequency component (LFC) of average air temperature in January averaged over the latitude zone of 32.5°-67.5° N has stopped its increase that lasted for 35 years (from 1970). The LFC of air temperature in July has continued growing since 1975 (for 39 years). The anomalies of air pressure and air temperature for thirty-year periods and the dynamics of LFC of air temperature and air pressure in the atmospheric centers of action are analyzed.     

气温、气压对飞行安全的影响分析

分析了气温，气压变化造成的高度表误差及气温及气温的变化带来的飞 机空速表误差，认为现行民航航线飞行安全高度的规定存在一定的不足，并提出了改进办法。     

Regional water temperature characteristics of lakes subjected to climate change

A deterministic, validated, one-dimensional, unsteady-state lake water quality model was linked to a daily weather data base to simulate daily water temperature profiles in lakes over a period of twenty-five (1955–79) years. Twenty seven classes of lakes which are characteristic for the north-central U.S. were investigated. Output from a global climate model (GISS) was used to modify the weather data base to account for a doubling of atmospheric CO₂. The simulations predict that, after climate change, epilimnetic temperatures will be higher but increase less than air temperature, hypolimnetic temperatures in seasonally stratified dimictic lakes will be largely unchanged or even lower than at present, evaporative water loss will be increased by as much as 300 mm for the season, onset of stratification will occur earlier and overturn later in the season, and overall lake stability will become greater in spring and summer.     

Indications of change of climate from the analysis of air temperature time series in Athens,Greece

Air temperature data of Athens are analysed to point out the variations caused by natural controls and anthropogenic activities. The study of the temperature records from 1858 to 1982 at Athens, on the southeast coast of Greece, supports the findings of earlier studies which indicate that the period of the 1920's to the 1950's were, climatologically, warmer than the preceding 60 yr and after about 1960. In particular, minimum temperatures show an increase from the 1920's to the 1980's, possibly due to the urbanization of the area. The climatological trends are clearly indicated in the data, when averaged over 30 yr and/or a numerical low-pass filtering technique is used. However, the sizes of the trends in climate are smaller than the interannual variations in the temperature measures. Over periods of several generations these small variations in climate cannot have had any effect on human activity when compared with the large effects caused by the interannual variability in the temperature.     

Projected increases in near-surface air temperature over Ontario,Canada: a regional climate modeling approach

Climate Dynamics - As the biggest economy in Canada, the Province of Ontario is now suffering many consequences caused by or associated with global warming, such as frequent and intense heat waves,...     

哈密高温气候特征及其环流形势分型

本文利用1961～2014年哈密国家基准气象观测站5～9月逐日最高气温、极端最高气温和NCEP1°×1°再分析资料,统计分析哈密市高温天气的气候特征及其环流特征。结果表明：（1）哈密市高温天气具有明显的时间变化特点,1961～1993年是偏少期,1994年以后明显偏多,而近14a是呈直线上升的趋势,这与全球气候变暖趋势一致。（2）哈密市近54a年平均高温日数是35d,主要集中在6～8月,7月最多。（3）高温日数具有明显的年际变化,最多为2002年出现60d,最少为1993年仅出现了11d。（4）新疆脊、伊朗副热带高压与西太平洋副热带高压的强弱和位置与高温天气有很好的对应关系;哈密出现持续性高温天气过程在500hPa高度场主要表现为三类环流类型:西太副高西伸发展型、伊朗副高东伸发展型、西太副高西伸发展与伊朗副高东伸发展共同作用型。     

On the relationship between the 10.7 cm solar flux,surface pressure and air temperature over Greece

Summary The behaviour of the 10.7 cm solar flux, surface air temperature and sea surface pressure are discussed on the basis of the 11-year solar cycle and the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO) over Greece. In this respect a strong negative correlation was identified between the 11-year solar cycle and the sea surface pressure during the winter west phase years of the QBO, while a similar correlation was found between the sea surface pressure differences estimated between stations located in northern and southern regions of Greece, and the 11-year solar cycle. On the contrary, for the same QBO period, a strong positive correlation was observed between the 11-year cycle and the surface air temperature in Greece in agreement with recently published results. Considering the east phase QBO years, no correlation was identified between the 10.7 cm solar flux and the sea surface pressure and surface air temperature over Greece.With 7 Figures     

Some statistical characteristics of air temperature variations at four Mediterranean stations

Summary In this paper some statistical characteristics of air temperature variations over the Mediterranean are presented. The study is based on temperature data at stations in Marseille (1851–1985), Rome (1851–1985), Athens (1858–1985), and Jerusalem (1864–1985). First the homogeneity of temperature data for each station is examined by means of the short-cut Bartlett test. In another step, the existence of abrupt climatic changes towards warm or cold periods at all stations, with the exception of Athens is pointed out. Some statistical significant persistence of the annual and seasonal time series is also shown. Finally, the temperature fluctuations are examined and discussed in respect to possible causes where particularly the role of the Mediterranean Sea and the topography is considered.With 4 Figures     

Mapping near-surface air temperature,pressure, relative humidity and wind speed over Mainland China with high spatiotemporal resolution

As part of a joint effort to construct an atmospheric forcing dataset for mainland China with high spatiotemporal reso- lution, a new approach is proposed to construct gridded near-surface temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and surface pressure with a resolution of 1 km× 1 km. The approach comprises two steps： （1） fit a partial thin-plate smoothing spline with orography and reanalysis data as explanatory variables to ground-based observations for estimating a trend surface; （2） apply a simple kriging procedure to the residual for trend surface correction. The proposed approach is applied to observations collected at approximately 700 stations over mainland China. The generated forcing fields are compared with the corresponding components of the National Centers for Environmental Predic- tion （NCEP） Climate Forecast System Reanalysis dataset and the Princeton meteorological forcing dataset. The comparison shows that, both within the station network and within the resolutions of the two gridded datasets, the interpolation errors of the proposed approach are markedly smaller than the two gridded datasets.     

不同气候背景下我国冬夏两季极端气温特征分析

利用全国175个测站1960—1999年间的日平均气温资料,分别选取1960—1989年(气候态A)、1970—1999年(气候态B)作为气候背景,采用蒙特卡洛显著性检验法检验了这两个气候态背景下我国冬夏两季季节平均气温的差异显著性。并在此基础上利用气候百分位法分别分析了在这两个气候态背景下2000—2010年间我国冬夏两季的极端气温特征。分析结果表明,相对于夏季,冬季气候态A、B背景下季节平均气温的差异更为显著。冬夏两季,我国大部分地区极端低温事件的发生频率相对较低,而极端高温事件的发生频率相对较高。由于气候态B包含了全球变暖特征最为显著的20a,故在气候态B背景下,冬夏两季极端低(高)温事件的发生频率要高(低)于气候态A,这与全球变暖的趋势相吻合。     

The taylor diagram (temperature against vapor pressure) for air mixtures

The diagram having temperature as one coordinate and partial pressure of aqueous vapor as the other was introduced byG. I. Taylor in his study of condensation due to mixing and is now called the Taylor diagram. The diagram fulfills almost exactly the property of mixtures, i. e., that mixtures of two samples of air are represented by the straight line joining the two points representing the samples, and that the relative distance from the point for either sample to the point for any mixture equals the proportion of the other sample in the mixture.The psychrometric formula, which determines wet-bulb temperature on the diagram, is expressed in a new approximate form that is both convenient for calculation and accurate. It shows that the isotherms of wet-bulb temperature (or equivalent temperature) can be drawn straight with good accuracy. The isosteres are straight lines exactly.By merely changing the designations of the axes to potential temperature and potential vapor pressure, the diagram is made to fulfill the property of mixtures even for air samples at different pressures.

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Zusammenfassung Das Diagramm, das die Temperatur als eine und den Partialdruck des Wasserdampfs als andere Koordinate verwendet, ist vonG. I. Taylor bei seiner Untersuchung über Mischungskondensation eingeführt worden und wird daher als Taylor-Diagramm bezeichnet. Es befriedigt fast exakt die Eigenschaft von Luftmischungen, daß nämlich Mischungen von zwei Luftproben durch die Gerade dargestellt werden, welche die zwei den Proben entsprechenden Punkte verbindet; dabei ist der relative Abstand des Punktes einer beliebigen Mischung vom Punkte der einen Probe dem Anteil der andern Probe in der Mischung gleich.Die Psychrometerformel, durch die die Feuchttemperatur im Diagramm gegeben ist, wird in einer neuen Näherungsform dargestellt, die gleichzeitig hinreichend genau und für die Rechnung praktisch ist. Es ergibt sich dabei, daß die Isothermen der Feuchttemperatur (oder Äquivalenttemperatur) mit genügender Genauigkeit als Gerade gezogen werden können. Die Isosteren sind strenge Gerade.Lediglich durch Änderung der Bezeichnungen der Achsen in dem Sinne, daß sie die potentielle Temperatur und den potentiellen Dampfdruck darstellen, kann das Diagramm auch zur Charakterisierung der Mischung von Luftproben von verschiedenem Druck verwendet werden.

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Résumé G. I. Taylor dans son étude sur la condensation par mélange a établi un diagramme dont les coordonnées sont la température et la pression de vapeur d'eau. Ce diagramme satisfait presque exactement la particularité de mélanges qui consiste dans le fait que des mélanges de deux masses d'air sont représentés par la droite reliant les deux points correspondants à l'état de ces deux masses; la distance relative d'un point quelconque de cette droite à l'un des points extrêmes est, dans un mélange donné, proportionnelle à la fraction de la masse dont l'état est représenté par l'autre borne du segment. La formule psychrométrique qui fournit la température du thermomètre humide dans le diagramme est mise sous une forme approximative simplifiée, exacte et paratique. Il s'ensuit que les isolignes de la température humide (ou équivalente) peuvent être représentées assez exactement par des droites. Les isostères sont des droites en toute rigueur. En introduisant simplement la température potentielle et la pression potentielle de vapeur, le diagramme peut également être employé pour caractériser le mélange de masses d'air de pressions différentes.

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With 4 figures.

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Contribution No. 482.     

Recent trends in regional air temperature and precipitation and links to global climate change in the Maharlo watershed,Southwestern Iran

Trends in air temperature and precipitation data are investigated for linkages to global warming and climate change. After checking for serial correlation with trend-free pre-whitening procedure, the Mann–Kendall test is used to detect monotonic trends and the Mann–Whitney test is used for trend step change. The case study is Maharlo watershed, Southwestern Iran, representing a semi-arid environment. Data are for the 1951–2011 period, from four temperature sites and seven precipitation sites. A homogeneity test investigates regional similarity of the time series data. The results include mean annual, mean annual maximum and minimum and seasonal analysis of air temperature and precipitation data. Mean annual temperature results indicate an increasing trend, while a non-significant trend in precipitation is observed in all the stations. Furthermore, significant phase change was detected in mean annual air temperature trend of Shiraz station in 1977, indicating decreasing trend during 1951–1976 and increasing trend during 1977–2011. The annual precipitation analysis for Shiraz shows a non-significant decrease during 1951–1976 and 1977–2011. The result of homogeneity test reveals that the studied stations form one homogeneous region. While air temperature trends appear as regional linkage to global warming/global climate change, more definite outcome requires analysis of longer time series data on precipitation and air temperature.     

Long-term climate monitoring and extreme events

Problems with long-term monitoring of various extreme meteorological events (including tropical and extratropical cyclones, extreme winds, temperatures and precipitation, and mesoscale events) are examined. For many types of extreme events, the maintenance of long-term homogeneity of observations is more difficult than is the case for means of variables. In some cases, however, a strategy of using more than a single variable to define an event, along with the careful elimination of biases in the data, can provide quantitative information about trends. Special care needs to be taken with extreme events deduced from meteorological analyses, because changes in analysis and observation systems are certain to have affected extremes. Also, compositing of observations from more than one station, using differences in means (of temperature for instance) to produce a single long-term site, may not remove the biases in the extremes. These problems, along with ambiguities in defining extreme events, and difficulties in combining different analyses from different sites, complicate (and perhaps invalidate) attempts to determine whether extreme weather is becoming more frequent. The best that is likely to be achieved, even with increased emphasis on attaining the high-level of homogeneity necessary in the observations, is to monitor long-term variations in certain important extreme events, in select locations with high-quality data. Regional indices of important extreme events, selected on the basis of their damage potential and capable of adequate monitoring, may be established. If, in the future, we are to answer the question “Are extreme weather events becoming more frequent?”, we must establish and protect high-quality stations capable of monitoring the most important extreme events (perhaps with such regional indices), and ensure that changes affecting the recording of extreme events (e.g., changes in exposure) are meticulously documented.     

北京中心商务区夏季近地面气温时空分布特征

利用2012年6-8月31个自动观测站点气温资料,分析了北京中心商务区（CBD）夏季近地面气温时空分布特征及影响因子,并将CBD地区夏季气温监测数据与朝阳区气象站同期地面气温进行比较分析。结果表明：下垫面类型和人为热排放等差异是直接影响城市中心商务区近地面气温空间分布的主要原因。人口密集区、高层建筑与柏油路面集中区成为夏季月平均气温高值中心,较绿地覆盖区域的低值中心偏高约1.0 ℃;夜间人类活动及车辆使用造成的人为热排放是导致夜间城市地面气温空间差异的主要原因,而白天气温空间差异相对减小。CBD地区与朝阳站平均温差存在较明显的周内和日内变化韵律,且白天和夜间二者温差基本都为正值,但夜间的差值更加明显,即CBD地区平均气温一般高于朝阳站,表现出明显的附加城市热岛效应,而且这种附加城市热岛效应具有同城市热岛强度相近的日内变化规律。进一步分析表明,不同天气条件下CBD区域的附加城市热岛强度表现出显著差异,晴好微风少云天气情况下,附加城市热岛效应更明显,主要表现在夜间;阴天、高湿天气条件下,附加城市热岛效应在白天和夜间均较弱;降水天气条件下附加城市热岛效应日夜差异最小,说明日照和太阳辐射在引起附加城市热岛效应方面起着重要作用。不同天气条件下CBD地区内部的附加城市热岛效应空间分布基本一致。     

Farmer perceptions of climate change: Associations with observed temperature and precipitation trends,irrigation, and climate beliefs

How individuals perceive climate change is linked to whether individuals support climate policies and whether they alter their own climate-related behaviors, yet climate perceptions may be influenced by many factors beyond local shifts in weather. Infrastructure designed to control or regulate natural resources may serve as an important lens through which people experience climate, and thus may influence perceptions. Likewise, perceptions may be influenced by personal beliefs about climate change and whether it is human-induced. Here we examine farmer perceptions of historical climate change, how perceptions are related to observed trends in regional climate, how perceptions are related to the presence of irrigation infrastructure, and how perceptions are related to beliefs and concerns about climate change. We focus on the regions of Marlborough and Hawke’s Bay in New Zealand, where irrigation is utilized on the majority of cropland. Data are obtained through analysis of historical climate records from local weather stations, interviews (n = 20), and a farmer survey (n = 490). Across both regions, no significant historical trends in annual precipitation and summer temperatures since 1980 are observed, but winter warming trends are significant at around 0.2–0.3 °C per decade. A large fraction of farmers perceived increases in annual rainfall despite instrumental records indicating no significant trends, a finding that may be related to greater perceived water availability associated with irrigation growth. A greater fraction of farmers perceived rainfall increases in Marlborough, where irrigation growth has been most substantial. We find those classes of farmers more likely to have irrigation were also significantly more likely to perceive an increase in annual rainfall. Furthermore, we demonstrate that perceptions of changing climate – regardless of their accuracy – are correlated with increased belief in climate change and an increased concern for future climate impacts. Those farmers that believe climate change is occurring and is human induced are more likely to perceive temperature increases than farmers who believe climate change is not occurring and is not human induced. These results suggest that perceptions are influenced by a variety of personal and environmental factors, including infrastructure, which may in turn alter decisions about climate adaptation.