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Global Climate Change Digest
A Guide to Information on Greenhouse Gases and Ozone Depletion
Published July 1988 through June 1999

FROM VOLUME 5, NUMBER 11, NOVEMBER 1992

PROFESSIONAL PUBLICATIONS...
TREND ANALYSIS: TEMPERATURE, HUMIDITY AND PRECIPITATION

Item #d92nov19

"Climate Change in the Yellowstone National Park: Is the Drought-Related Risk of Wildfires Increasing?" R.C. Balling Jr. (Off. Climatol., Arizona State Univ., Tempe AZ 85287), G.A. Meyer, S.G. Wells, Clim. Change, 22(1), 35-45, Sep. 1992.

Comparison of annual wildfire data to variations in historical climate conditions shows that summer temperatures in the park are increasing, January-June precipitation is decreasing, and variations in burn area are related to climatic variations. GCM predictions of increasing aridity in the park area under doubled CO₂ are in general agreement with trends in the historical climate records.

Item #d92nov20

"Observational Signs of Greenhouse-Gas-Induced Climate Change, with Special Reference to Northern Latitudes," C.D. Schönwiese (Goethe Univ., Inst. Meteor., Feldbergstr. 47, D-6000 Frankfurt 1, Ger.), J. Atmos. Terr. Phys., 54(9), 1101-1106, Sep. 1992.

Northern Hemispheric surface air temperature and precipitation data over the last 100-130 years were statistically analyzed and correlated with volcanic, solar, ENSO, North Atlantic Oscillation and greenhouse gas forcings, to separate any anthropogenic climate signals from natural variability. Temperature assessments were also compared to results of deterministic climate model experiments.

Item #d92nov21

"Climatic Variability of Temperature and Humidity over the Tropical Western Pacific," D.S. Gutzler (Aeron. Lab., NOAA, 325 Broadway, Boulder CO 80303), Geophys. Res. Lett., 19(15), 1595-1598, Aug. 3, 1992.

The vertical structures of recent decade-scale trends were studied using radiosonde data from four stations. Both temperature and specific humidity have increased throughout the troposphere since the mid-1970s. Specific humidity in the tropics is shown to be a sensitive indicator of long-term climate change. Reproduction of the vertical structures observed in this study would be a good test of model projections of climate change.

Item #d92nov22

"Growing Season Trends in the Alaskan Climate Record," B.S. Sharratt (ARS, USDA, 309 O'Neill Bldg., Univ. Alaska, Fairbanks AK 99775), Arctic, 45(2), 124-127, June 1992.

Data from half of the eight stations studied showed no change in growing season over the past 65 years; the season lengthened at the other four stations. The season shortened at three stations during the period 1940-1970, corresponding to declining Northern Hemisphere temperatures.

Item #d92nov23

"Assessing the Value of Historical Temperature Measurements," A. McConnell (Sci. Museum, London, England), Endeavour, 16(2), 80-84, June 1992. Reviews the accuracy of past records with respect to instruments, their exposure, and the observers.

Item #d92nov24

"Long-Term Surface Temperature Variations in South Africa," A. Muhlenbruchtegen (Univ. Witwatersrand, Climatol. Res., Witwatersrand 2050, S. Africa), S. African J. Sci., 88(4), 197-205, Apr. 1992.

Monthly data were examined for temporal and spatial trends in mean, minimum and maximum temperatures. Monthly means show little trend over the past 50 years, while both increasing and decreasing trends were noted in minima and maxima.

Item #d92nov25

Comment on spectrum analysis of oscillations in the IPCC temperature record, Nature, 356(6372), 751, Apr. 30, 1992.

Item #d92nov26

"The Impact of Snow Cover on Diurnal Temperature Range," R.S. Cerveny (Off. Climatol., Arizona State Univ., Tempe AZ 85287), R.C. Balling Jr., Geophys. Res. Lett., 19(8), 797-800, Apr. 24, 1992.

Demonstrates an inverse correlation between the area of North American snow cover and the U.S. diurnal temperature range. Because global warming is expected to reduce the areal extent of snow cover, it should act to increase the diurnal temperature range, in contrast to the decrease recently observed in many areas of the world. The link between temperature range and greenhouse gases may be complicated by feedback processes.