Monitoring observed changes in warm-days extremes over Turkey

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze warm-days changes extracted from daily maximum temperature time-series of 71 stations in Turkey during 1961–2016. First, the trend analysis of warm-days events indicated that the annual count of warm-days occurrences has been significance rising by a rate of 1.4 days per decade over more than 90 percent of the studied stations. Thus, there are consistent patterns in daily warming throughout the study area. The spatial maps showed that the lowest frequency in the minimum annual number of warm-days occurred in western areas by a total number of 21 days and its highest occurred in the eastern area by a total number of 35 days. Moreover, the highest frequency in the mean and minimum annual count of warm-days observed in the northwestern lowlands and their frequency has decreased toward the eastern mountainous. Also, the highest range of differences between the annual count of maximum and minimum values has happened in the eastern regions which are characterized by high elevation and the lower existence of atmospheric humidity. Therefore, a higher moisture content of the atmosphere in lowland coastal stations favors severe warm-days and the increased risk of human health.