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Spatial and temporal trends in mean, maximum and minimum temperature in the Niger-South Basin, Nigeria
Oloruntade, Ajayi Johnson1, Thamer Ahmad Mohammad2, Abdul Halim Ghazali3, Aimrun Wayayok4.
Analysis of trends in temperature can provide important information required for the
understanding of climate in any geographical setting. In this study, trends of mean (TMEAN),
maximum (TMAX) and minimum (TMIN) air temperature series were investigated based on
monthly, seasonal and annual time-scales over the Niger-South Basin (NSB) during 1948–2008.
Standard statistical tests and Mann-Kendall trend technique were used to analyse the temperature
series. The results revealed a uniform warming over the basin with an average coefficient of
variability of 1.36%. Three periods of warming and cooling were identified as: 1948-1956
(cooling), 1957-1978 (moderate warming) and 1979-2008 (increased warming) - with year 1998
being the warmest (TMEAN=27.8 oC), while 1975 was the coldest (TMEAN=26.2 oC). The
warmest season was during March-April-May (spring) and June-July-August (summer) the
coldest, whereas February and March were the warmest months of the year. Trends were
positively significant over the basin on monthly, seasonal and annual bases for all series, while
increasing trend in TMIN series was strongest. The trend in TMEAN, TMAX and TMIN
averaged over the whole basin were 0.83, 0.79 and 0.90 °C per annum, respectively. The
increasing warming trends for all series were also stronger in autumn and summer than in spring
and winter. On the monthly basis, the highest TMEAN, TMAX and TMIN increase were in
February (1.13 oC/yr), September (1.22 oC/yr) and January (1.41 oC/yr), respectively. On the
whole, average increased warming over the entire basin was 0.83 oC per annum. The study
showed that the increased warming in the basin that has been further intensified since the year
2001 can be attributed to the influence of global warming.
Affiliation:
- Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia
- Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia
- Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia
- Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia
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