Variability of the European climate on the basis of differentiation of indicators of continentalism

Abstract

Monthly air temperature and precipitation values of ten selected European stations (mostly between 1901 and 2000) were used to calculate thermal and pluvial continentality indices and define regularity in the spatial and temporal variances of their values in Europe. The changeability of thermal indices was found to be statistically insignificant. A slight decreasing trend leading towards oceanisation of the European climate is apparent, primarily in the stations located in continental areas. Over the course of many years, periods with prevailing oceanic and continental influences are remarkable; they exist synchronically in all stations. The long-term changeability of the pluvial continentality indices is statistically significant only for the stations with the continental type of climate, where a tendency of continentalism is clearly seen. The inconsistency between the changeability's direction of pluvial conditions and climate oceanisation tendency at the end of the last century suggests that apart from circulation factors, local factors - such as anthropopression - are important in developing climate changeability, especially in continental areas. © Springer Science + Business Media B.V. 2010.