Changes in the Sums of Active Temperatures and Absolute Minimum Temperatures in 1931-2020 in Slovakia

Abstract

The air temperature is increasing worldwide, Europe and especially Slovakia are no exception. This increase is more than double here. The years 2015-2022 represent the eight warmest years in the history of measurements. The aim of this work is to point out the increasing areas of the territory of Slovakia with sums of active temperatures (TS ≥ 5 °C) and with absolute minimum temperatures during the years 1931-1960, 1961-1990 and 1991-2020. The results show an increase mainly in the last 30 years when the area of the territory with temperatures above 3,400 °C increased by 50 % (compared to the years 1931-1960) and the area of the territory with temperatures up to 2,200 °C decreased by 88 %. The change is also visible at absolute minimum temperatures when the area with T min ≤ -24 °C decreased by 93 % and the area with T min ≥ -18.1 °C increased by 203 %. These facts affect the development of plants -droughts in the spring and summer months, but also the occurrence of diseases caused by insufficient freezing of the soil and the lack of moisture from the snow cover, which has hardly occurred in the southern parts of Slovakia in recent years. Therefore, it is necessary to adapt to these changes, as the situation is expected to worsen.