Summary
Tropical days (TD) are defined as the days with a maximum air temperature greater than 30.0 °C. It is clear that the study of TD includes also the absolute maximum temperatures, which are of great interest for the description of a region’s climate. These days are considered as very hot, and they particularly are of great importance not only for bioclimatology and applied sciences, but also for the individuals who are sensitive in the heat-stress. The regime of the TD in Greece is the focus of this study. The aim is to demonstrate their changes from decade to decade, for the time period 1960–2000. For this study, the Annual Number of Tropical Days (ANTD) recorded by each of the 26 meteorological stations of National Meteorological Service, which are uniformly distributed in the Hellenic peninsula, was calculated and analysed.
In terms of quantifying the conditions in a humanbiometeorological manner, the thermal index Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) and the consecutive days for Athens have been included in this study.
The trends of the TD for each station were analysed through the Mann–Kendall technique, while the spatial distribution per decade reveals the regions with change (increase or decrease) in the ANTD during the examined period. Two characteristic periods of change for the ANTD appear in the majority of the meteorological stations in Greece. The first period (1955–1976) is determined by a negative trend, which is statistically significant (c.l. 95%), for adequate stations. In the period between 1976 and 2000, the increase in the ANTD and the maximum temperature exceed the corresponding maximum that appeared in the beginning of the 1950s for several of the examined meteorological stations.
The human-biometeorological analysis shows that the consecutive days of PET > 35 °C have had a positive trend in the last two decades of the last century.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
H Alexandersson (1986) ArticleTitleA homogeneity test applied to precipitation data J Climatol 6 661–675 Occurrence Handle10.1002/joc.3370060607
A Arseni-Papadimitriou P Maheras (1991) ArticleTitleSome statistical characteristics of air temperature variations at four Mediterranean stations Theor Appl Climatol 43 105–112 Occurrence Handle10.1007/BF00867467
C Balafoutis A Arseni-Papadimitriou (1992) ArticleTitleAnalyse en composantes principales des temperatures moyennes maximales et minimales en Greece Publications de l’ Association de Climatologie 5 213–219
A Bartzokas DA Metaxas (1995) ArticleTitleFactor analysis of some climatological elements in Athens, 1931–1992: covariability and climatic change Theor Appl Climatol 52 195–205 Occurrence Handle10.1007/BF00864043
L Carapiperis (1954) ArticleTitleThe distribution of the absolute extreme temperatures in Greek Peninsula Minutes of the Academy of Athens 29 411–419
P Carapiperis (1959) ArticleTitleContribution to the study of tropical days in Athens Bulletin of Army Geographical Service 2 61–68
PS Chu ZP Yu S Hastenrath (1994) ArticleTitleDetecting climate change concurrent with deforestation in the Amazon basin: which way has it gone? Bull Amer Meteor Soc 75 759–583 Occurrence Handle10.1175/1520-0477(1994)075<0579:DCCCWD>2.0.CO;2
de Dear R, Pickup J (2000) An outdoor thermal environment index (OUT_SET*) – applications. In: Biometeorology and urban climatology at the turn of the millenium. In: de Dear RJ, Kalma JD, Oke TR, Auliciems A (eds) Selected Papers from the Conference ICB-ICUC’99, Sydney. WCASP-50, WMO/TD No. 1026, pp 285–290
J Dikaiakos P Nastos (1991) ArticleTitleThe climatic and bioclimatic regime of the tropical days in Athens Annales Geologiques des Pays Helleniques 35 471–488
Eginitis D (1907) The climate of Greece (Part A), P. Sakellariou Editions, Athens
PO Fanger (1972) Thermal comfort McGraw Hill New York
H Feidas T Makrogiannis E Bora-Senta (2004) ArticleTitleTrend analysis of air temperature time series in Greece and their relationship with circulation using surface and satellite data: 1955–2001 Theor Appl Climatol 79 185–208 Occurrence Handle10.1007/s00704-004-0064-5
AA Flocas VE Angouridakis (1979) ArticleTitleExtreme values analysis of air temperature over Greece Arch Met Geoph Biokl Ser B 27 47–57 Occurrence Handle10.1007/BF02245909
HA Flocas K Tolika Chr Anagnostopoulou I Patrikas P Maheras M Vafiadis (2005) ArticleTitleEvaluation of maximum and minimum temperature of NCEP-NCAR reanalysis data over Greece Theor Appl Climatol 80 49–65 Occurrence Handle10.1007/s00704-004-0078-z
D Founda KH Papadopoulos M Petrakis C Giannakopoulos P Good (2004) ArticleTitleAnalysis of mean, maximum, and minimum temperature in Athens from 1897 to 2001 with emphasis on the last decade: trends, warm events, and cold events Global Planet Change 44 IssueID1–4 27–38 Occurrence Handle10.1016/j.gloplacha.2004.06.003
AP Gagge AP Fobelets LG Berglund (1986) ArticleTitleA standard predictive index of human response to the thermal environment ASHRAE Trans 92 709–731
BD Giles AA Flocas (1984) ArticleTitleAir temperature variations in Greece. Part 1: Persistence, trend and fluctuations Int J Climatol 4 531–539 Occurrence Handle10.1002/joc.3370040508
HM Hasanean (2001) ArticleTitleFluctuations of surface air temperature in the Eastern Mediterranean Theor Appl Climatol 68 75–87 Occurrence Handle10.1007/s007040170055
Höppe P (1984) Die Energiebilanz des Menschen. Wiss Mitt Meteor Inst Univ München No 49
P Höppe (1993) ArticleTitleHeat balance modelling Experientia 49 741–746 Occurrence Handle10.1007/BF01923542
P Höppe (1999) ArticleTitleThe physiological equivalent temperature – a universal index for the biometeorological assessment of the thermal environment Int J Biometeorol 43 71–75 Occurrence Handle10.1007/s004840050118
IPCC (2001) Third Assessment Report, Working Group I Report
Jendritzky G, Menz G, Schirmer H, Schmidt-Kessen W (1990) Methodik zur raumbezogenen Bewertung der thermischen Komponente im Bioklima des Menschen (Fortgeschriebenes Klima-Michel-Modell). Beitr Akad Raumforsch Landesplan No. 114
PD Jones (1994) ArticleTitleHemispheric surface air temperature variations: a reanalysis and an update to 1993 J Clim 7 1794–1802 Occurrence Handle10.1175/1520-0442(1994)007<1794:HSATVA>2.0.CO;2
P Jones A Moberg (2003) ArticleTitleHemispheric and large-scale surface air temperature variations: an extensive revision and an update to 2001 J Clim 16 206–223 Occurrence Handle10.1175/1520-0442(2003)016<0206:HALSSA>2.0.CO;2
PD Jones TJ Osborn KR Briffa CK Folland B Horton LV Alexander DE Parker NA Rayner (2001) ArticleTitleAdjusting for sampling density in grid-box land and ocean surface temperature time series J Geophys Res 106 3371–3380 Occurrence Handle10.1029/2000JD900564
H Kutiel P Maheras (1998) ArticleTitleVariations in the temperature regimes across the Mediterranean during the last century and their relationship with circulation indices Theor Appl Climatol 61 39–53 Occurrence Handle10.1007/s007040050050
CJ Lolis A Bartzokas DA Metaxas (1999) ArticleTitleSpatial covariability of the climatic parameters in the Greek area Int J Climatol 19 185–196 Occurrence Handle10.1002/(SICI)1097-0088(199902)19:2<185::AID-JOC339>3.0.CO;2-0
P Maheras E Xoplaki T Davies J Martin-Vide M Bariendos MJ Alcoforado (1999) ArticleTitleWarm and cold monthly anomalies across the Mediterranean basin and their relationship with circulation; 1860–1990 Int J Climatol 19 1697–1715 Occurrence Handle10.1002/(SICI)1097-0088(199912)19:15<1697::AID-JOC442>3.0.CO;2-S
EG Mariolopoulos (1938) The climate of Greece Athens Greece 79–82
Mariolopoulos H (1972) Meteorology in ancient Greece. Minutes of the Academy of Athens, Vol. 47, pp 89–101
A Matzarakis H Mayer (1997) ArticleTitleHeat stress in Greece Int J Biometeorol 41 34–39 Occurrence Handle10.1007/s004840050051
A Matzarakis H Mayer MG Iziomon (1999) ArticleTitleApplications of a universal thermal index: physiological equivalent temperature Int J Biometeorol 43 76–84 Occurrence Handle10.1007/s004840050119
Matzarakis A, Rutz F, Mayer H (2000) Estimation and calculation of the mean radiant temperature within urban structures. In: de Dear RJ, Kalma JD, Oke TR, Auliciems A (eds) Selected papers from the Conference ICB-ICUC’99, Sydney. WCASP-50, WMO/TD No 1026: 273–278
M Maugeri T Nanni (1998) ArticleTitleSurface ait temperature variation in Italy: recent trends and update to 1993 Theor Appl Climatol 61 191–196 Occurrence Handle10.1007/s007040050063
H Mayer (1993) ArticleTitleUrban bioclimatology Experientia 49 957–963 Occurrence Handle10.1007/BF02125642
DA Metaxas A Bartzokas A Vitsas (1991) ArticleTitleTemperature fluctuations in the Mediterranean area during the last 120 years Int J Climatol 11 897–908 Occurrence Handle10.1002/joc.3370110808
Nastos P (1993) The Kriging interpolation method and its application in Climatology. Proceedings of the 3rd Hellenic Geographical Congress, Athens 1–3 April 1993, pp 547–555 (in Greek)
Nastos P (1995) The influence of the physicogeographical factors in the air temperature regime of Greece. PhD thesis, Faculty of Geology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
CM Philandras DA Metaxas P Nastos (1999) ArticleTitleClimate variability and urbanization in Athens Theor Appl Climatol 63 65–72 Occurrence Handle10.1007/s007040050092
M Proedrou G Theoharatos C Cartalis (1997) ArticleTitleVariations and trends in annual and seasonal air temperature in Greece determined from ground and satellite measurements Theor Appl Climatol 57 65–78 Occurrence Handle10.1007/BF00867977
CC Repapis CM Philandras (1988) ArticleTitleA note on the air temperature trends of the last 100 years, as evidenced in the Eastern Mediterranean time series Theor Appl Climatol 39 93–107 Occurrence Handle10.1007/BF00866394
C Serra A Burgueno X Lana (2001) ArticleTitleAnalysis of Maximum and minimum daily temperatures recorded at Fabra Observatory (Barcelona, NE Spain) in the period 1917–1998 Int J Climatol 21 617–636 Occurrence Handle10.1002/joc.633
R Sneyers (1975) Sur l’ analyse statistique des series d’observations SeriesTitleTechnical note 143 WMO Geneva
JC Spagnolo RJ de Dear (2003a) ArticleTitleA field study of thermal comfort in outdoor and semi-outdoor environments in subtropical Sydney Australia Build Environ 38 721–738 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0360-1323(02)00209-3
JC Spagnolo RJ de Dear (2003b) ArticleTitleA human thermal climatology of subtropical Sydney Int J Climatol 23 1383–1395 Occurrence Handle10.1002/joc.939
M Turkes UM Sumer I Demir (2002) ArticleTitleRe-evaluation of trends and changes in mean, maximum and minimum temperatures of Turkey for the period 1929–1999 Int J Climatol 22 947–977 Occurrence Handle10.1002/joc.777
VDI (1994) Interactions between atmosphere and surfaces. Calclualation of short-wave and long-wave radiation. VDI guideline 3789. Part 2. Blatt 2. Beuth, Berlin
VDI (1998) Methods for the human-biometerological assessment of climate and air hygiene for urban and regional planning. Part I: Climate, VDI guideline 3787. Part 2. Beuth, Berlin
E Xoplaki J Luterbacher R Burkard I Patrikas P Maheras (2000) ArticleTitleConnection between the large-scale 500 hPa geopotential height fields and precipitation over Greece during wintertime Clim Res 14 129–146 Occurrence Handle10.3354/cr014129
E Xoplaki JF Gonzalez-Rouco J Luterbacher H Warner (2003) ArticleTitleMediterranean summer air temperatures variability and its connection to the large-scale atmospheric circulation and SSTs Clim Dyn 20 723–739
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Correspondence: Dr. Panagiotis T. Nastos, Laboratory of Climatology and Atmospheric Environment, Department of Geography and Climatology, Faculty of Geology and Geoenvironment, University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis GR, 157 84 Athens, Greece
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Nastos, P., Matzarakis, A. Variability of tropical days over Greece within the second half of the twentieth century. Theor Appl Climatol 93, 75–89 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-007-0325-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-007-0325-1