Trend analysis of temperature parameters in Iran

Abstract

In this study, long-term annual and monthly trends in mean maximum, mean minimum and mean temperature are investigated at 35 synoptic stations in Iran. The statistical significance of trends is assessed by the Mann–Kendall test. Most stations, especially those in western and eastern parts of country, had significant positive trends in monthly temperature time series in summer season. However, the maximum number of stations with the positive trend were observed in April (30 stations), and then in August (29 stations) while the negative trends were seen in February (16 stations) and March (15 stations). On annual scale, most stations in western and southern parts of Iran had significant positive trend. Overall, about 71%, 66% and about 40% of stations had statistically significant trends in mean annual temperature, mean annual minimum temperature and in mean annual maximum temperature, respectively. These results, however, indicate that the climate in Iran is growing warmer, especially in summer.