Spatio‐temporal variation of daily extreme temperatures over Turkey

Abstract

AbstractExtreme (maximum and minimum) temperature records are analysed for search of spatio‐temporal variation patterns in regional climate change throughout Turkey based on 165 stations, as many stations as possible, and as far back as possible, in the period 1961–2008. The main purpose is to better understand the possibility of annual trends during the warm and cold periods. Homogeneity and Mann‐Kendall trend test methodologies are applied in order to identify statistically significant trends at each station. It is observed that there is a significant warming in both annual maximum and minimum temperature records. Increasing trends in warm period are comparatively stronger than cold periods so far as the maximum temperatures are concerned. There are also increasing trends in annual minimum temperature during warm periods with almost no change in minimum temperatures of cold periods. The observations indicate that the temperature began to increase in the beginning of the 1980s. Nine stations are chosen from different geographical regions in order to compare monthly average temperature values of 1961–1984 with 1985–2008 and a marked increase was observed on extreme temperatures in these stations. Copyright © 2011 Royal Meteorological Society