A new perspective on recent global warming: Asymmetric trends of daily maximum and minimum temperatures

Karl, Thomas R., Jones, Philip D. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5032-5493, Knight, Richard W., Kukla, George, Plummer, Neil, Razuvayev, Vyacheslav, Gallo, Kevin P., Lindseay, Janette, Charlson, Robert J. and Peterson, Thomas C. (1993) A new perspective on recent global warming: Asymmetric trends of daily maximum and minimum temperatures. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 74 (6). pp. 1007-1023. ISSN 0003-0007

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Abstract

Monthly mean maximum and minimum temperatures for over 50% (10%) of the Northern (Southern) Hemisphere landmass, accounting for 37% of the global landmass, indicate that the rise of the minimum temperature has occurred at a rate three times that of the maximum temperature during the period 1951–90 (0.84°C versus 0.28°C). The decrease of the diurnal temperature range is approximately equal to the increase of mean temperature. The asymmetry is detectable in all seasons and in most of the regions studied. The decrease in the daily temperature range is partially related to increases in cloud cover. Furthermore, a large number of atmospheric and surface boundary conditions are shown to differentially affect the maximum and minimum temperature. Linkages of the observed changes in the diurnal temperature range to large-scale climate forcings, such as anthropogenic increases in sulfate aerosols, greenhouse gases, or biomass burning (smoke), remain tentative. Nonetheless, the observed decrease of the diurnal temperature range is clearly important, both scientifically and practically.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: sdg 13 - climate action ,/dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/climate_action
Faculty \ School: Faculty of Science > School of Environmental Sciences
University of East Anglia Research Groups/Centres > Theme - ClimateUEA
UEA Research Groups: Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Climatic Research Unit
Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Centre for Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences
Depositing User: Rosie Cullington
Date Deposited: 14 Jul 2011 15:25
Last Modified: 26 Jul 2023 09:42
URI: https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/33770
DOI: 10.1175/1520-0477(1993)074<1007:ANPORG>2.0.CO;2

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