Climate Variability and Urbanization in Athens

Summary  The effects of urbanization on the Athens National Observatory (NOA) long records are investigated, in the present study, examining the mean monthly maximum and minimum air temperature for the period 1925–1996, for NOA and the corresponding time series for Aliartos (ALI), a rural station located 70 km NW of Athens. The existing small urbanization effect in NOA before the second world war period increased after the war and up to about 1990, when the effect became stationary. The urbanization effect in NOA referred mainly to maximum temperature and to the warmer seasons of the year. It is attributed to the extensive building of Athens after the war around NOA site and up to the sea which increases the temperature of the sea breeze. The effect is also attributed to the rapid increase of the population and the number of motor vehicles mainly after 1970. Moreover the decreasing trend of precipitation during the period 1970–1990 may have contributed to the increase of maximum air temperature. The urbanization effect on maximum temperatures of NOA amounts about 2 °C in spring, summer and less in fall, while no urbanization effect is clear in winter. Received March 25, 1998 Revised October 7, 1998     

A note on the air temperature trends of the last 100 years as evidenced in the eastern Mediterranean time series

Summary The present paper is a preliminary study of the long term temperature trends in the eastern Mediterranean area. The air temperature time series of the following stations were investigated: Cairo, Alexandria, Jerusalem, Beirut, Nicosia, Athens, Kerkyra, Catania and Rome. For this group of stations the air temperature trends for about the last 100 years are examined and are compared with the corresponding time series of the land surface air temperature, the sea surface temperature (SST) and the marine air temperature (NMAT) for the northern hemisphere (NH). A better agreement was found between the time series of the eastern Mediterranean region and the SSTs and NMATs, than with the NH air temperature (land surface). The coincidence of the 1900s minimum of eastern Mediterranean air temperature and the SSTs and NMATs especially merits further investigation.

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Zusammenfassung Die vorliegende Arbeit präsentiert eine vorläufige Studie der langzeitlichen Temperaturtrends im östlichen Mittelmeerraum. Lufttemperaturzeitserien der folgenden Stationen wurden hierzu untersucht: Kairo, Alexandria, Jerusalem, Beirut, Nikosia, Athen, Kerkyra, Catania und Rom. Anhand der Daten der genannten Stationen wurden die Lufttemperaturtrends über einen Zeitraum von etwa 100 Jahren untersucht und mit den entsprechenden Zeitserien der Landoberflächenlufttemperatur, der Meeresoberflächentemperatur (SST) und der nächtlichen Seelufttemperatur (NMAT) der nördlichen Hemisphäre verglichen.Hierbei konnte größere Übereinstimmung der Lufttemperaturtrends zwischen Zeitserien des östlichen Mittelmeerraums und den Meeresoberflächentemperaturen, bzw. den nächtlichen Seelufttemperaturen festgestellt werden als zwischen den Zeitserien dieser Region mit den Zeitserien der Landoberflächenlufttemperatur der nördlichen Hemisphäre. Die Übereinstimmung des 1900-Minimums der Lufttemperaturtrends des östlichen Mittelmeerraums und den SST- und NMAT-Trends verdient hierbei besondere Aufmerksamkeit und weitere Untersuchungen.

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With 3 Figures