THE DEVELOPMENT OF MONTHLY TEMPERATURE SERIES FOR SCOTLAND AND NORTHERN IRELAND
CC01

April 2004

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This report describes the development of monthly temperature series (mean, maximum and minimum temperatures) for the Scottish mainland (SMT), the northern and northwestern Scottish Isles (SIT, Orkneys, Shetlands and Outer Hebrides) and for Northern Ireland (NIT). The regional series use information from eight long station records, five over SMT, two for SIT and one for NIT. All three regions show long-term statistically significant seasonal warming over both 1861-2000 and 1901-2000, except for the winter season. For the calendar year, the temperature change explained by a linear trend over 1861-2000 is 0.69°C, 0.64ºC and 0.77ºC for SMT, SIT and NIT, respectively.

KEY WORDS
Temperature, Scotland, Northern Ireland, climate change

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