Trends in Indices of Daily Temperature and Precipitation Extremes in Europe, 1946–99

Abstract

Abstract:The principal aim of this paper is to analyze the trends of the multi-annual course of the selected characteristics of extreme precipitation, snow cover and atmospheric thunderstorms in the second half of the twentieth century in Poland. The results of these investigations show that in Poland it is only possible to determine a weak decreasing trend of extreme precipitation events in the S and especially in the SW part of the country. In northern Poland, opposite, although similarly weak, trends have also been observed. It is assumed that the most essential features of long-term changeability of extreme precipitation include a higher than average number of days with extremely high precipitation during the 1960s and 1970s, a distinctly lower frequency of such days during the 1950s, 1980s and in the fi rst half of the 1990s. In Poland it is possible to distinguish four broad homogenous areas in terms of the long-term changes in the occurrence of extreme precipitation events. There is considerable regional differentiation when it comes to the occurrence of thunderstorms in Poland, and their long-term changeability does not show any clear trends. Only three stations have determined a weak increase in the number of thunderstorms during the last 120 years. In some stations, an increase in the number of days with thunderstorms during the winter seasons was also observed. There were no signifi cant trends in extreme snow cover in Poland. The periods that contained large and small areas of extreme snow cover thickness occurred alternately. Since the winter season 1987/88, the area of extremely thin snow cover has remained at a relatively high level.

Spatial and Temporal Variations of Precipitation Extremes and Seasonality over China from 1961~2013

“…This indicates that in regions where the total precipitation increases, the precipitation extremes are likely to increase, while in regions where the total precipitation decreases or remains constant, the precipitation extremes may not decrease or remain constant at annual and seasonal scales. That is in agreement with the results of Klein Tank & Können [6], who confirmed that at stations where the amount of annual precipitation increased, the extreme indices had similar changes, but for stations with a decreasing annual amount, there was no such amplified response of the precipitation extremes. The reason for inconsistency in the trends for total precipitation and precipitation extremes could also be associated with the number of rainy days and the rainfall intensity.…”

“…Vincent et al [5] found some increases in consecutive dry days but no change in consecutive wet days and a decrease in precipitation extremes (including R10, R20, RX1day and RX5day) for countries of the western Indian Ocean. Klein Tank & Können [6] analyzed trends in indices of climate extremes in Europe and confirmed that at stations where the annual amount increases, the extreme index has similar changes, but for stations with a decreasing annual amount, there is no such amplified response of the precipitation extremes. For China, Zhai et al [7] found that there is a small trend in total precipitation for China as a whole, but there are distinctive regional and seasonal patterns of trends, and there is a great similarity between the spatial patterns of trends in extreme and total precipitation.…”

Temporal and spatial temperature variability and change over Spain during 1850–2005

“…ac.uk/cru/projects/emulate/public/EMULATE-INDICES-SOFTWARE.doc). Analysis of annual and seasonal exceedances of daily T max and T min 10th and 90th percentiles calculated with respect to the 1961 -1990 baseline period, which describe the number of moderately extreme cold days and nights and moderately extreme warm days and nights, respectively, have been studied for the entire period (1850-2005) and also for the other identified subperiods reported by other researchers [Frich et al, 2002;Yan et al, 2002;Klein Tank and Können, 2003;Mokssit, 2003;DellaMarta et al, submitted manuscript, 2006] at larger spatial scales.…”

Climatic effects in Central Europe on the frequency of medical treatments of dairy cows

“…This effect might be potentiated by changing climatic conditions. The overall warming resulting in the proposed increase of warm extremes will enhance heat loads of the animals during summer months (Klein Tank and Kö nnen, 2003). In the present study, the relationship between incidences of veterinary treatments as an indicator for health and the THI as an indicator for heat stress was investigated.…”