Extreme Temperatures Climbing
In a press release that was issued at the end of March, researchers from the Met Office (UK) observed changes in extreme daily minimum (<1.5%) and maximum (>98.5%) temperatures across different world regions since 1950. Here is was they found.....
1. Daily extremes have risen by over 4 degrees celsius (7 degrees F) over the last 50 years.
2. Minimum temperatures, especially those over Russia and Canada are now up to 4 C (7 F) warmer than the middle of the 20th century.
3. Maximum temperatures have warmed 1- 3 degrees celsius (~2-5 degrees F) across Canada and Eurasia.
4. The total area exhibiting positive trends is significantly greater than can be attributed to unforced natural variability.
5. The comparatively small areas of cooling are found to be consistent with unforced natural climate variability.
6. The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is found to have a significant influence on extreme winter daily temperatures for many areas, which is no surprise.
Simon Brown, Met Office Climate Scientist said: "This latest research shows that some extreme events are already increasing. The trend is set to continue with our changing climate having a significant impact, with warmer nights and hotter days in the future".
Here is a link to the abstract of the study in the Journal of Geophysical Research.
