Observed temperature trends in Germany: Current status and communication tools

Abstract

Germany’s national meteorological service (Deutscher Wetterdienst) is responsible for monitoring climate and climate change in Germany. Regional mean temperatures for Germany since 1881 are derived from the measurements of the station network on a monthly basis. Here, we discuss methodologies to assess the temperature trend, compare it with the global trends and present an overview on tools that are used for the communication of results. Consistent to the increase in global temperatures, the mean temperature in Germany also increased considerably, especially during the last 5 decades. The linear trend of the period 1881 to 2022 is approx. +1.7 °C, but the warming accelerated within the last decade. Especially in the period since 1971, the warming rate per decade was three times higher (0.38 °C/decade) than for the period since 1881 (0.12 °C/decade). The temperature increase in Germany has been faster than in the global mean (linear trend 1971 to 2022: 0.18 °C per decade; for 1881 to 2022: 0.08° per decade). However, the temperature increase in Germany is comparable to the temperature increase over the global land area (also 0.12 °C/decade since 1881). For the period since 1971 the increase is faster for Germany than for the global land area (0.29 °C/decade). As a result of the accelerated warming, most years within the last decade had annual mean temperatures above the linear trend line (1881–2022) and the decade 2011 to 2020 was +2 °C warmer in Germany than the first 30 years of the analysis period (1881–1910). The 30-year period 1991 to 2020 was 1.5 °C warmer than the period 1881 to 1910. Several methods are used to communicate the results of the temperature analysis, mainly regular reports, internet portals and social media channels. The German Climate Atlas is a comprehensive interactive web-based tool that provides information on the observed climate in combination with information on model-based projections of future climate change for Germany.