Abstract
The variability and extremes of air temperature and precipitation in the years 1951–2006 were analyzed for different vertical zones as well as for the W-E profile of the Polish Carpathians. Some results of the analysis were compared with those concerning the Eastern Alps. Data from 9 Polish and 18 Austrian stations were used. The variability of air temperature in the Polish Western Carpathians during the study period decreased with altitude whereas no relation between temperature variability and altitude was observed in the Alps. The rate of temperature increase per decade was much lower at Kasprowy Wierch than at the lower locations (0.14 and 0.21 K, respectively) and for the period 1956–2000 it was even statistically insignificant. Notably, the temperature at Kasprowy Wierch was much lower than the temperature at the similar altitudes in the Alps. No clear trends in precipitation can be observed in either mountain chains. The observed differences in the climate change patterns between both mountain chains are connected with their geographical features and the air temperature increase probably results from diversified effects of atmospheric circulation.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Alcamo J, Moreno JM, Nováky B, Bindi M, Corobov R, Devoy RJN, Giannakopoulos C, Martin E, Olesen JE, Shvidenko A (2007) Europe. In: Parry ML, Canziani OF, Palutikof JP, van der Linden PJ, Hanson CE (eds) Climate change 2007: impacts, adaptation and vulnerability. Contribution of working group ii to the fourth assessment report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Alexander LV, Zhang X, Peterson TC, Caesar J, Gleason B, Klein Tank AMG, Haylock M, Collins D, Trewin B, Rahimzadeh F, Tagipour A, Rupa Kumar K, Revadekar J, Griffiths G, Vincent L, Stephenson DB, Burn J, Aguilar E, Brunet M, Taylor M, New M, Zhai P, Rusticucci M, Vazquez-Aguirre JL (2006) Global observed changes in daily climate extremes of temperature and precipitation. J Geophys Res 111:D05109
Alexandersson A (1986) A homogeneity test applied to precipitation data. Int J Climatol 6:661–675
Auer I, Böhm R, Schöner W (2001) Austrian long-term climate 1767–2000—multiple instrumental climate time series from Central Europe. Österr Beitr Meteorol Geophys 25:1–147
Auer I, Böhm R, Jurkovic A, Lipa W, Orlik A, Potzmann R, Schöner W, Ungersböck M, Matulla C, Briffa K, Jones PD, Efthymiadis D, Brunetti M, Nanni T, Maugeri M, Mercalli L, Mestre O, Moisselin J-M, Begert M, Müller-Westermeier G, Kveton V, Bochnicek O, Stastny P, Lapin M, Szalai S, Szentimrey T, Cegnar T, Dolinar M, Gajic-Capka M, Zaninovic K, Majstorovic Z, Nieplova E (2007) HISTALP—historical instrumental climatological surface time series of the Greater Alpine Region 1760–2003. Int J Climatol 27:17–46
Böhm R, Auer I, Schöner W, Hagen M (1998) Long alpine barometric time series in different altitudes as a measure for 19th/20th century warming. Preprints of the 8th conference on mountain meteorology, in Flagstaff, Arizona. AMS, Boston
Böhm R, Auer I, Brunetti M, Maugeri M, Nanni T, Schöner W (2001) Regional temperature variability in the European Alps 1760–1998 from homogenized instrumental time series. Int J Climatol 21:1779–1801
Böhm R, Auer I, Schöner W, Brunetti M, Maugeri M, Huhle C, Nanni T (2002) Regional precipitation variability in the European Alps 1803–1998 from homogenised instrumental time series. Proceedings of 9th AMS conference on mountain meteorology, Park City, UT, P2.12.40008, June 2002
Brunetti M, Lentini G, Maugeri M, Nanni T, Auer I, Böhm R, Schöner W (2009) Climate variability and change in the Greater Alpine Region over the last two centuries based on multi-variable analysis. Int J Climatol 29:2197–2225
Hess M (1965) Piętra klimatyczne w polskich Karpatach Zachodnich. Zesz Nauk UJ Prace Geogr 11
Klein Tank AMG, Können GP (2003) Trends in indices of daily temperature and precipitation extremes in Europe, 1946–99. J Climate 16:3665–3680
Klein Tank AMG, Wijngaard JB, Können GP, Böhm R, Demarée G, Gocheva A, Mileta M, Pashiardis S, Hejkrlik L, Kern-Hansen C, Heino R, Bessemoulin P, Müller-Westermeier G, Tzanakou M, Szalai S, Pálsdóttir T, Fitzgerald D, Rubin S, Capaldo M, Maugeri M, Leitass A, Bukantis A, Aberfeld R, van Engelen AFV, Førland E, Mietus M, Coelho F, Mares C, Razuvaev V, Nieplova E, Cegnar T, Antonio López J, Dahlström B, Moberg A, Kirchhofer W, Ceylan A, Pachaliuk O, Alexander LV, Petrovic P (2002) Daily dataset of 20th-century surface air temperature and precipitation series for the European climate assessment. Int J Climatol 22:1441–1453
Matulla C, Auer I, Böhm R, Ungersböck M, Schöner W, Wagner S, Zorita E (2005) Outstanding past decadal-scale climate events in the Greater Alpine Region analysed by 250 years data and model runs. GKSS-Report 2005/4
Moberg A, Jones PD, Lister D, Walther A, Brunet M, Jacobeit J, Alexander LV, Della-Marta PM, Luterbacher J, Yiou P, Chen D, Klein Tank AMG, Saladie O, Sigro J, Aguilar E, Alexandersson H, Almarza C, Auer I, Barriendos M, Begert M, Bergström H, Böhm R, Butler CJ, Caesar J, Drebs A, Founda D, Gerstengarbe FW, Micela G, Maugeri M, Österle H, Pandzic K, Petrakis M, Srnec L, Tolasz R, Tuomenvirta H, Werner PC, Linderholm H, Philipp A, Wanner H, Xoplaki E (2006) Indices for daily temperature and precipitation extremes in Europe analyzed for the period 1901–2000. J Geophys Res 111:D22106
Niedźwiedź T (1992) Climate of the Tatra Mountains. Mt Res Develop 12:131–146
Obrębska-Starkel B, Bednarz Z, Niedźwiedź T, Trepińska J (1995) On the trends of the climate changes in the higher parts of the Carpathian Mountains. Zesz Nauk UJ Prace Geogr 98:123–151
Obrębska-Starklowa B, Bednarz Z, Niedźwiedź T, Olecki Z, Trepińska J (1994a) Natural and anthropogenic fluctuations and trends of climate change in Southern Poland. Geogr Pol 62:7–22
Obrębska-Starklowa B, Bednarz Z, Niedźwiedź T, Trepińska J (1994b) Klimat Karpat w okresie globalnego ocieplenia i prognozowane zmiany gospodarcze. Probl Zagosp Ziem Górskich 37:13–38
Obrębska-Starklowa B, Bednarz Z, Niedźwiedź T, Trepińska J (1994c) Contemporary tendencies in the climatic changes of the Carpathian Mts and their foreland. Conf Papers 20:103–116
Ustrnul Z (1997) Variability of the atmospheric circulation on the Northern Hemisphere in the 20th century. Mat Badaw IMGW Ser Meteorol 27:1–208
Weber RO, Böhm R, Gajic-Čapka M, Zaninovic K, Brázdil R, Faško P (1997) 20th century changes of temperature in the mountain regions of Central Europe. Clim Change 36:327–344
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Bokwa, A., Wypych, A., Ustrnul, Z. (2013). Climate Changes in the Vertical Zones of the Polish Carpathians in the Last 50 Years. In: Kozak, J., Ostapowicz, K., Bytnerowicz, A., Wyżga, B. (eds) The Carpathians: Integrating Nature and Society Towards Sustainability. Environmental Science and Engineering(). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-12725-0_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-12725-0_8
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-12724-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-12725-0
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)