Analysis of precipitation-related climatic conditions in European plain regions

Abstract

Significant increases of extreme precipitation and drought events have been detected in Europe in the past few decades. In this study, 16 selected climate indices (11 recommended by the Expert Team of Climate Change and Indices) were used for the analysis of the temporal changes and spatial distribution of precipitation patterns in European plain regions during 1950–2022.Using an objective, two-step method, 14 plain regions were selected across Europe representing different climatic conditions. Precipitation time series were used from the E-OBS v.27 dataset on a 0.1° regular grid. The dataset is based on station measurements, which are available from 1950 onwards with daily temporal resolution.Our results suggest a general intensification of precipitation events over the continent, as 11 regions show a significant increase in the indices related to the intensity of extreme precipitation, and the frequency of these events increased in 10 regions. Extreme indices related to dry periods changed significantly in only a few cases. An increase may only be observed in the southern part of the continent, while a significant decrease can be seen in three regions in northern Europe.