Recent anomalies of mean temperature of 12 consecutive months – Germany, Europe, Northern Hemisphere

Theoretical and Applied Climatology volume 95, pages 417–422 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

Anomalies of mean air temperature of 12 consecutive months were detected recently at a number of spatial scales: from local via national and continental, to hemispheric. At all these spatial scales, pre-2007 records were exceeded by considerable margins. The recent rise in the mean temperature of 12 consecutive months at several scales has remained largely unnoticed, because the 12-month means are seldom analyzed. Broad attention is typically focused on monthly, seasonal and annual temperatures. Analysis of shifted 12-month periods helps spot peculiar 12-month episodes with remarkable temperature anomalies that do not coincide with a calendar year. Introducing 12-month running mean temperatures into the global warming debate can prove useful.

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Acknowledgements

These investigations were funded by the European Union program “INTERREG III B CADSES”, project Hydrocare–Hydrological cycle of the DADSES regions and the EU FP6 projects ADAM (Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies) and ENSEMBLES. Useful constructive remarks of two anonymous referees and Editor Professor Hartmut Grassl, which helped the authors to enrich the paper, are gratefully acknowledged.

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Affiliations

  1. Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, P.O. Box 60 12 03, 14412, Potsdam, Germany

    Z. W. Kundzewicz, F.-W. Gerstengarbe, H. Österle & P. C. Werner

  2. Research Centre for Agricultural and Forest Environment, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poznań, Poland

    Z. W. Kundzewicz

  3. German Meteorological Service, Hohenpeißenberg Meteorological Observatory, Hohenpeißenberg, Germany

    W. Fricke

Authors
  1. Z. W. Kundzewicz
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  2. F.-W. Gerstengarbe
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  3. H. Österle
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  4. P. C. Werner
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  5. W. Fricke
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Correspondence to Z. W. Kundzewicz.

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Kundzewicz, Z.W., Gerstengarbe, FW., Österle, H. et al. Recent anomalies of mean temperature of 12 consecutive months – Germany, Europe, Northern Hemisphere. Theor Appl Climatol 95, 417–422 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-008-0013-9

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Keywords

  • Temperature Anomaly
  • Temperature Record
  • Climatic Research Unit
  • German Station
  • Urban Heat Island Effect