Variability of air temperature during summer from the period 1961-2021 in the southwest of Romania, in the context of climate change.

Abstract

The periods of warming and cooling of the weather on Earth followed one another with great irregularity and caused significant variations in air temperature but allowed the existence of life and especially of the human species. In this paper we have analysed the variation of air temperature in Oltenia in the period 1961-2021. A number of our other works have analysed the variability of the climate in this part of Romania. After the warm period of 1945-1955, a gradual cooling of the weather followed in summers and during the period 1966-1984 (for 20 years). In summers, no thermal maximum of ≥40°C was registered. The period 2000-2021 (22 years) was the warmest of all the meteorological observations in Oltenia and many annual, monthly and daily climate records were surpassed. At the same time, during the analysed interval, the melting rate of the ice in the polar areas intensified a lot and exceptional thermal maxima were registered. The heat waves during the summers were more and more intense, more frequent and longer in duration. The paper is useful to all those interested in climate variability in Oltenia.