Abstract
The objective of this study was to analyze long-term temperature-related phenomena in the eastern portion of the Middle East, focusing on the coastal region of Qatar. Extreme temperature indices were examined, which were defined by the Expert Team on Climate Change Detection and Indices, for Doha, Qatar; these indices were then compared with those from neighboring countries. The trends were calculated for a 30-year period (1983–2012), using hourly data obtained from the National Climatic Data Center. The results showed spatially consistent warming trends throughout the region. For Doha, 11 of the 12 indices studied showed significant warming trends. In particular, the warming trends were represented by an increase in the number of warm days and nights and a decrease in the number of cool nights and days. The high-temperature extremes during the night have risen at more than twice the rate of their corresponding daytime extremes. The intensity and frequency of hot days have increased, and the minimum temperature indices exhibited a higher rate of warming. The climatic changes in Doha are consistent with the region-wide heat-up in recent decades across the Middle East. However, the rapid economic expansion, increase of population since the 1990s, and urban effects in the region are thought to have intensified the rapidly warming climate pattern observed in Doha since the turn of the century.
Highlights
The Earth has undergone periods of climatic change throughout its history
The results show a significant increase in the minimum temperature, which reflects a reduction in the daily temperature range (DTR) for Qatar
Several studies have investigated the rise in the minimum temperature in the Arabian Peninsula, which is attributed to the warming trend of changes in atmospheric circulations over the Mediterranean Sea, Indian Ocean, and Sudan (Almazroui et al 2014; AlSarmi and Washington 2014)
Summary
The Earth has undergone periods of climatic change throughout its history. Before the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, climatic change was caused by natural effects, e.g., volcanic eruptions and fluctuations in solar radiation. Because of the increase in concentrations of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide (Karl et al 2008; Jones et al 2005), the global average temperature has risen by 0.74 °C over the last 100 years, with accelerated warming during the last three decades (Solomon et al 2007). The increase in global mean temperature appears related to changes in the temperature extremes (Easterling et al 1997) reported in many regions in the world. Because these extremes are located within the tails of the temperature distribution, small changes in the mean value produce large changes in the extreme temperatures (Karl et al 2008; Trenberth 2012). A recent study concluded that the effect of hot temperature extremes has greater significance on extreme events than the global mean temperature (Seneviratne et al 2014)
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