Spatial and Temporal Variations of Temperature in the Punjab Province, Pakistan

Abstract

Identifying the temperature change at a regional level is one of the essential parameters to determine theintensity of climate change. The current investigation provides an examination of changing trends of temperature in thePunjab province from 1970 to 2019. Sen's slope estimator method is applied to monthly data of mean temperature(Tmean), maximum temperature (Tmax), and minimum temperature (Tmin) to calculate the rate of temperature change.Statistical methods were used to find out the level of significance in terms of negative or positive trends to examine thevariability among various weather observatories. Moreover, predicted values have also been observed for a detailedanalysis of temperature variability and trends. Significant and pronounced changes in the mean temperature (T mean)are distinguished all over the Punjab regions with an increasing trend from North to South Punjab. In the case ofmaximum temperature (Tmax), a faster rate of rising in temperature is observed over the Southern and Western regionsof Punjab. In contrast, the minimum temperature (Tmin) shows an increasing trend in Central Punjab. The findingsprovide detailed insight to policymakers for the planning of mitigating efforts and adaptation strategies in response toclimate change.