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Analysis of monthly, winter, and annual temperatures in Zagreb, Croatia, from 1864 to 2010: the 7.7-year cycle and the North Atlantic Oscillation

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Abstract

Long instrumental records of meteorological variables such as temperature and precipitation are very useful for studying regional climate in the past, present, and future. They can also be useful for understanding the influence of large-scale atmospheric circulation processes on the regional climate. This paper investigates the monthly, winter, and annual temperature time series obtained from the instrumental records in Zagreb, Croatia, for the period 1864–2010. Using wavelet analysis, the dominant modes of variability in these temperature series are identified, and the time intervals over which these modes may persist are delineated. The results reveal that all three temperature records exhibit low-frequency variability with a dominant periodicity at around 7.7 years. The 7.7-year cycle has also been observed in the temperature data recorded at several other stations in Europe, especially in Northern and Western Europe, and may be linked to the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and/or solar/geomagnetic activity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Richard G. Lugar Center for Renewable Energy, Department of Mathematical Sciences, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, 402 N. Blackford Street, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA

    Asok K. Sen

  2. Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva 2, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Darko Ogrin

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  1. Asok K. Sen
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  2. Darko Ogrin
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Correspondence to Asok K. Sen.

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Sen, A.K., Ogrin, D. Analysis of monthly, winter, and annual temperatures in Zagreb, Croatia, from 1864 to 2010: the 7.7-year cycle and the North Atlantic Oscillation. Theor Appl Climatol 123, 733–739 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-015-1388-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-015-1388-z

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