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Analysis of near‐surface diurnal temperature variations and trends in southern Mexico
Author(s) -
PeraltaHernandez Ana Rosa,
Balling Jr Robert C.,
BarbaMartinez Luis R.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
international journal of climatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.58
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-0088
pISSN - 0899-8418
DOI - 10.1002/joc.1715
Subject(s) - climatology , diurnal temperature variation , precipitation , environmental science , el niño southern oscillation , maximum temperature , range (aeronautics) , pacific decadal oscillation , mean radiant temperature , atmospheric temperature range , southern oscillation , atmospheric sciences , surface air temperature , climate change , geography , geology , meteorology , oceanography , materials science , composite material
We assembled daily maximum temperature, minimum temperature and precipitation records for 143 stations in southern Mexico over the period 1960–2004. We found that the average temperature for the region has increased linearly at a rate of 0.086 °C per decade with maximum temperatures increasing at twice that rate and minimum temperatures basically remaining unchanged. This results in a highly statistically significant increase in the diurnal temperature range of 0.160 °C per decade. We found that the variations and trends in maximum temperatures, minimum temperatures and the diurnal temperature range were generally unrelated to various measures of El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) or the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). Variations in regional precipitation amounts could explain 22.6% of the monthly variations in the diurnal temperature range, but not the trend over the 1960–2004 time period. Copyright © 2008 Royal Meteorological Society