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Chiziwa Kaonga Chikumbusko,Bobby Mphangwe Kosamu Ishmael,Tenthani Chifundo

doi:10.5897/ajest2014.1840

English

Chiziwa Kaonga Chikumbusko, Bobby Mphangwe Kosamu Ishmael + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.5897/ajest2014.1840

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Abstract

Economies that mainly depend on agriculture are to a large extent being negatively impacted by climate change. In this study, temperature and solar radiation data from Chitedze Weather Station, Lilongwe City, Malawi for a 29-year period (1985 to 2013) were assessed for the possibility of climate variation. In addition, the concentration of carbon dioxide over Malawi within the same period as temperature and solar radiation data was assessed for inferences. The highest mean minimum temperature (15.7°C) was recorded in 2010. The highest mean maximum temperature (27.9°C) and solar radiation (21.5 MJm-2day-1) were recorded in 2005. The mean minimum temperature showed an increasing pattern but both mean maximum temperature and solar radiation data showed a lot of variation. There were significant differences (p < 0.05) among mean minimum and maximum temperature and solar radiation. The carbon dioxide concentration over Malawi has been increasing over the years which is one of the contributors to rising mean minimum temperatures. Key words: Climate variation, solar radiation, temperature, weather.

Highlights

The world’s climate is changing and will continue to change into the coming century at rates projected to be unprecedented in recent human history (Adger et al., 2003)
The results indicated that mean maximum temperatures have been fluctuating over the years
The mean maximum temperatures correlated with net solar radiation at the boundary of the earth’s atmosphere

Summary

Introduction

The world’s climate is changing and will continue to change into the coming century at rates projected to be unprecedented in recent human history (Adger et al., 2003). There is ample evidence of the ecological impacts of recent climate change, from polar terrestrial to tropical marine environments (Walther et al, 2002). The impact of climate change on agriculture may add significantly to the development challenges of ensuring food security and reducing poverty (Jones and Thornton, 2003). Climate is generally one of the main determinants of agricultural production. Temperature increases especially in spring leads to a decrease in net primary production of some native grass species making them more vulnerable to invasion by exotic species (Alward et al, 1999). Grain yields decline by 10% for each 1°C increase in growing-season minimum temperature (Peng et al, 2004).

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