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Variation of spatial annual precipitation sums in central europe in the period 1881‐1980
Author(s) -
Brázdil R.,
Ŝamaj F.,
Valoviĉ Ŝ.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
journal of climatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.58
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-0088
pISSN - 0196-1748
DOI - 10.1002/joc.3370050604
Subject(s) - precipitation , series (stratigraphy) , climatology , period (music) , spectral analysis , autocorrelation , maximum entropy method , mathematics , geography , statistics , geology , meteorology , physics , statistical physics , paleontology , quantum mechanics , spectroscopy , acoustics
The analysis of atmospheric precipitation variation in Central Europe in the period 1881‐1980 is based on the series of the so‐called spatial annual precipitation sums for the F.R.G., the G.D.R., Poland, Bohemia, Moravia, Slovakia and Hungary and for the Baur series. The annual precipitation variation in the above period is studied by means of series of 5‐year and 11‐year gliding means. Methods of autocorrelation analysis, spectral analysis (partly according to Blackman and Tukey, partly maximum entropy spectral analysis), coherency analysis and numerical bandpass filtering were used for analysing precipitation periodicities and cycles. In the period studied, the western part of Central Europe (the Baur series, F.R.G., also G.D.R.) shows a generally increasing precipitation trend at below‐mean sums approximately up to 1920, whereas a more or less decreasing tendency is typical of the remaining series. Periods with analogous lengths appear in precipitation series in the whole of Central Europe and at the same time the lengths of significant periods are shortened from 4.4 and 5.0a (a = year) in the western part to 3.3 and 3.6a in the eastern part. At the same time, significant coherence among the studied series most frequently appears for periods of 2.5 and 13.3a. Periods with lengths of 2‐3 years take a more conspicuous part in the total variance of the corresponding series (about 30 per cent), except in the cases of Slovakia and Hungary, where the maximum share is shifted to oscillations with periods of 3‐4 years and for the F.R.G. and the Baur series to the interval of 4‐6 years. The course of the filtered series refers to the length and phase instability of the periodicities found, which complicates the use of the knowledge obtained for long‐term precipitation forecasting.