Turkey: Clımate Variability, Extreme Temperature, and Precipitation

Abstract

Climate variability and climate change have significant impacts in many areas of the world with different effects. It is generally accepted that changing climate variability and consequently changes in the intensity and frequency of extreme climatic events may have strong effects on sensitive areas. The east of the Mediterranean Basin in Turkey is one area where significant effects of climate variability may be experienced. Increases in extreme hot weather events and weak but distinct decreasing tendencies in extreme cold weather events are worth noting. Therefore, the increase in temperature, which has been rising since the early 2000s, is also combined with decreases in very cold days. In addition, the decreasing tendencies in total precipitation are accepted in many weather stations as important signals of long-term drought. The increasing trend of consecutive dry days and the decreasing trend of consecutive wet days can be considered as an indication that severe precipitation events will be more pronounced in annual total precipitation.