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Progress in the Study of Climatic Extremes in Northern and Central Europe

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Abstract

A study of the long-term changes of various climatic extremes was made jointly by a number of European countries. It was found that the changes in maximum and minimum temperatures follow, in broad terms, the corresponding well-documented mean temperature changes. Minimum temperatures, however, have increased slightly more than maximum temperatures, although both have increased. As a result, the study confirms that the diurnal temperature range has mostly decreased during the present century in Northern and Central Europe. Frost has become less frequent. Two extreme-related precipitation characteristics, the annual maximum daily precipitation and the number of days with precipitation ≥ 10 mm, show no major trends or changes in their interannual variability. An analysis of return periods indicated that in the Nordic countries there were high frequencies of ‘extraordinary’ 1-day rainfalls both in the 1930s and since the 1980s. There have been no long-term changes in the number of high wind speeds in the German Bight. Occurrences of thunderstorms and hails show a decreasing tendency in the Czech Republic during the last 50 years. Finally, using proxy data sources, a 500-year temperature and precipitation event graph for the Swiss Mittelland is presented. It shows large interdecadal variations as well as the exceptionality of the latest decade 1986-1995.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Finnish Meteorological, Institute P.O. Box 503, FIN-00101, Helsinki, Finland

    R. Heino & H. Tuomenvirta

  2. Masaryk University of Brno, Czech Republic

    R. Brázdil

  3. Norwegian Meteorological Institute, Norway

    E. Førland

  4. Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, Sweden

    H. Alexandersson

  5. University of Fribourg, Switzerland

    M. Beniston

  6. University of Bern, Switzerland

    C. Pfister

  7. Snow and Landscape Research, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Switzerland

    M. Rebetez

  8. Deutscher Wetterdienst, Germany

    G. Rosenhagen & S. Rösner

  9. University of Lodz, Poland

    J. Wibig

Authors
  1. R. Heino
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  2. R. Brázdil
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  4. H. Tuomenvirta
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  5. H. Alexandersson
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  6. M. Beniston
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  7. C. Pfister
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  9. G. Rosenhagen
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  11. J. Wibig
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Heino, R., Brázdil, R., Førland, E. et al. Progress in the Study of Climatic Extremes in Northern and Central Europe. Climatic Change 42, 151–181 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005420400462

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