An Attempt to Detect the Effects of a Steelworks on Precipitation Amounts in Central Hungary

Abstract

Abstract Daily precipitation amounts from a 20-station network within 50 km of a major steelworks at Dunaujvaros have been analysed in two ways for a decade preceding construction of the works in the late 1950's and a decade immediately following. The “classical” method is by examination of isohyets of precipitation totals. The second method employs statistical testing of stratified inter-decadal differences at each station using Student's t test. Stratifications are by season (June and December) and by synoptic weather types [five precipitation-producing types chosen from a catalog of 13 published by Peczely (1957) in Hungary]. Post-industrial maps showing isohyets of mean monthly totals for June and for December both exhibit relative maxima to the northeast and the southeast of the steelworks at distances between 40 and 55 km. Aggregation of interdecadal differences across synoptic types and seasons exhibits greater numbers of “large” values of t, both positive and negative, than would be expected by ch...