The protection of high quality fresh water in times of global climate changes is of tremendous importance since it is the key factor of local demographic and economic development. One such fresh ...water source is Vrana Lake, located on the completely karstified Island of Cres in Croatia. Over the last few decades a severe and dangerous decrease of the lake level has been documented. In order to develop a reliable lake level prediction, the application of the artificial neural networks (ANN) was used for the first time. The paper proposes time-series forecasting models based on the monthly measurements of the lake level during the last 38 years, capable to predict 6 or 12 months ahead. In order to gain the best possible model performance, the forecasting models were built using two types of ANN: the Long-Short Term Memory (LSTM) recurrent neural network (RNN), and the feed forward neural network (FFNN). Instead of classic lagged data set, the proposed models were trained with the set of sequences with different length created from the time series data. The models were trained with the same set of the training parameters in order to establish the same conditions for the performance analysis. Based on root mean squared error (RMSE) and correlation coefficient (R) the performance analysis shown that both model types can achieve satisfactory results. The analysis also revealed that regardless of the model types, they outperform classic ANN models based on datasets with fixed number of features and one month the prediction period. Analysis also revealed that the proposed models outperform classic time series forecasting models based on ARIMA and other similar methods .
Air temperature is the main climatic variable for climate change and global warming assessment. In different regions, different climatic features and forcing factors affect air temperature behaviour ...and development differently. In this paper, time series of monthly and annual absolute minimum, mean and absolute maximum air temperatures measured in the period Jan. 1949–Dec. 2018 at two meteorological stations, Zagreb Grič and Lastovo, were analysed. The stations are situated in distinct climatological areas in geographically and climatologically completely opposite parts of Croatia. The climate of Zagreb Grič station is mild continental. Station Lastovo is located on the small isolated Adriatic Sea island, which has a hot Mediterranean climate. The distance by air between the two analysed meteorological stations is 340 km. In time series of the absolute annual minimum air temperatures measured at both analysed stations, an increasing trend is not statistically significant, while in the time series of mean annual and absolute annual maximum air temperatures, the trends are statistically significant at the level
p<0.01.
The statistically significant trend of air temperature increase at both stations appeared in the warm season of the year generally from May to August. The day-to-day (DTD) method established a decrease in night-time to night-time air temperature variability, and an increase in the day-time to day-time temperature variability at Lastovo. In Zagreb Grič, the situation is the opposite but the process is very slow.
The paper compares air and sea surface temperatures in recent years on two islands in the Adriatic Sea. The data measured at the climatological station Krk on the island of Krk and the main ...meteorological station Lastovo on the island of Lastovo are used. The island of Krk is located in the north of the Adriatic Sea and Lastovo in the south. Since a significant increase in air and sea surface temperatures has been observed over the last thirty years, the goal is to establish how they reflect at these two stations, 313 km apart. The goal of the analysis is to monitor the changes in these two islands to reduce the negative impacts they may cause. The analysis of sea temperatures showed that global warming has a greater impact in the northern Adriatic than in the southern Adriatic. Air and sea surface temperatures have a faster upward trend on Krk than on Lastovo. Similar to the Mediterranean Sea, a positive trend was observed in the Adriatic Sea for both sea surface temperature and air temperature.
This paper analyzed the variations of two air temperature indices, diurnal temperature range (DTR) and annual temperature range (ATR), calculated based on observations at the Zagreb Grič Observatory ...over a period of 133 years (1887–2019). In intense climate changes strongly manifested by the increased air temperature, these two climate indices were determined to significantly impact human health and the environment. This effect is especially evident in urban areas. The Zagreb Grič Observatory is located in the center of Zagreb and has not changed its location during the observed period. It has a long homogeneous series of climatological observations, enabling a detailed study of climate variation in the city, which is strongly influenced by various urbanization processes. In 133 years, both of the analyzed indicators showed a statistically insignificant downward trend. The Rescaled Adjusted Partial Sums (RAPS) method revealed statistically significant differences in DTR’s time series between three sub-periods: 1887–1953, 1954–1989, and 1990–2019. The time series of ATR during 133 years behaved statistically differently in four sub-periods: 1887–1905; 1906–1926; 1927–1964; and 1965–2019. The analysis of monthly values of DTR showed that the DTR values are the highest in the warm part of the year, from May to August, when they are twice as high as those during the cold period from November to December. With an increase in precipitation, the DTR values decrease, while they increase as the mean annual temperature increases.
This paper examines monthly, seasonal, and annual trends in temperature and precipitation time series in Osijek during the period between 1900 and 2018. Two new methods, innovative trend analysis ...(ITA) and successive average methodology (SAM), together with the classic Mann–Kendall (M–K) and Sen’s slope methods, have been applied to determine potential trends in the variables at different time scales. Moreover, time series decomposition using locally estimated scatterplot smoothing (STL) was conducted to determine trend, seasonality, and the relationship between the components of each variable. Regarding the air temperature, ITA showed a monotonic positive trend at relatively low (T ≤ 10 °C) and high (T ≥ 13 °C) temperature ranges in all seasons, excluding spring. A positive trend was also found in the medium temperature range in this season, which agrees with the results of M–K test. The highest Sen’s slope was obtained in January, with the second highest in April. According to the results acquired for the observed precipitation time series, it was discovered that Osijek has experienced a decreasing trend in spring precipitation. However, there is no trend in annual precipitation at a 5% significance level. Differing from the M–K results, the ITA shows a decreasing trend in both spring and autumn seasons. Summer precipitation increases with a significant change in the high precipitating levels (
p
≥ 100 mm). Comparing successive pairs of partial trends in both historical temperature and precipitation, our results show that trends in peak and trough change-points are very close to each other, indicating a slight positive trend in temperature and a negative change in precipitation over the past century.
Proposal of a new method for drought analysis Bonacci, Ognjen; Bonacci, Duje; Roje-Bonacci, Tanja ...
Journal of Hydrology and Hydromechanics,
03/2023, Letnik:
71, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Below-average precipitation and above-average air temperature are important factors in the occurrence and intensity of drought. In the context of global climate change, air temperature increase, as a ...key climatological parameter, has to be considered when calculating the drought index. We introduce a new method of drought analysis, relying on standardized values of precipitation and mean air temperatures for a certain period. The standardized value is calculated by subtracting the average value for each period from each measured value and dividing the obtained value by the standard deviation of the sample. Next, the New Drought Index (NDI) is calculated by subtracting the standardized temperature value from the standardized precipitation value. NDI values were determined for the monthly and annual precipitation time series and mean monthly and annual air temperatures measured at the stations Split-Marjan and Zagreb-Grič between 1948 and 2020. The NDI indicates that the risk of drought has intensified significantly in recent decades, which may be related to the effect of global warming.
The Adriatic Sea and its coastal region have experienced significant environmental changes in recent decades, aggravated by climate change. The most prominent effects of climate change (namely, an ...increase in sea surface and air temperature together with changes in the precipitation regime) could have an adverse effect on social and environmental processes. In this study, we analyzed the time series of sea surface temperature and air temperature measured at three meteorological stations in the Croatian part of the Adriatic Sea. To assess the trends and variations in the time series of sea surface and air temperature, different statistical methods were employed, i.e., linear and quadratic regressions, Mann–Kendall test, Rescaled Adjusted Partial Sums method, and autocorrelation. The results evidenced increasing trends in the mean annual sea surface temperature and air temperature; furthermore, sudden variations in values were observed in 1998 and 1992, respectively. Increasing trends in the mean monthly sea surface temperature and air temperature occurred in the warmer parts of the year (from March to August). The results of this study could provide a foundation for stakeholders, decision–makers, and other scientists for developing effective measures to mitigate the negative effects of climate change in the scattered environment of the Adriatic islands and coastal region.
The air temperature trends measured at the central meteorological station Varaždin and the water temperature measured at the Botovo station on the Drava River were analyzed from 1 January 1969 to 31 ...December 2021. Analyses were performed for three different time scales: year, month, and day. Mann–Kendall testing statistically determined the significant trends over the analyzed period and found increasing air and water temperatures. From 1975 to 1989, three reservoirs of different volumes and water surface areas were built. The Botovo water measuring station is 11 km from the third largest reservoir and 28 km from the mouth. Applying the day-to-day (DTD) method, we determined that the variations in the daily air temperatures are significantly higher than the simultaneous variations in the daily water temperatures. Also, the rise in water temperatures at the downstream water measuring station Botovo was influenced by the construction of reservoirs. The commissioning of the second reservoir in 1982 caused a significant rise in water temperature at the Botovo station. Trends in water temperature increase during all months of the year were statistically significant, while air temperature trends were statistically significant during the warm parts of the year.
The Mediterranean region is one of the regions in the world that is most vulnerable to the impact of imminent climate change. In particular, climate change has an adverse effect on both the ecosystem ...and socioeconomic system, influencing water availability for both human and environmental purposes. The most endangered water resources are along the coasts and on islands since they have relatively small volumes and are intensively exploited. We analyzed the time series of air temperature and precipitation measured at four meteorological stations (Komiža, Palagruža, Lastovo, and Biševo) located on small islands in the Croatian part of the Adriatic Sea in this study. The investigated time series extend from the 1950s to the present, being contemporaneous for approximately 50 years. Despite possessing discontinuity, they can be considered as representative for assessing climate change and variability in the scattered environment of the Croatian islands. The results showed increasing trends in the annual air temperature, while the annual cumulative precipitation did not show significant variations. In addition, the analyses of the monthly air temperature showed that statistically significant increasing trends occurred from April to August, suggesting a more severe impact during these months. These results are in accordance with regional and local studies and climate models. Although the climate variability during the analyzed period can be considered as moderate, the impact on water resources could be severe due to the combined effect of the increase in air temperature during warm periods and the intensive exploitation for tourism purposes.
A historical review of extreme air temperature analysis in Croatia is presented. Two capital works on the subject were published in the 1970s by the Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service ...(DHMZ) and Faculty of Science University of Zagreb (PMF-Zagreb), respectively. The first is a monography on extreme value theory or extreme value analysis (EVA) with an application on more than a century-long time series of annual minima air temperature for Zagreb Grič weather station (Croatia) for the period 1862–1969. It is just a case study, with a lot of instructions regarding how to estimate the generalized extreme value (GEV) distribution parameters. The second is a master’s thesis with an application of the EVA on maxima air temperature time series for 41 weather stations from Croatia for the period 1950–1969. The shortness of the time series of the presented data caused instability in the estimation of GEV distribution parameters in transition areas from continental to maritime climate, but in general, the results are acceptable after a reduction of the 1950–1969 time series data on a ‘normal climate period’ 1910–1969. Both works were pioneering for that time in the South-Eastern Europe scale. A routine application of GEV distribution on the extreme air temperature (both minimum and maximum) for ten representative weather stations from Croatia is represented in Climate atlas of Croatia for the period 1961–1990, published by DHMZ in 2008. Theoretically estimated results fit well with empirical data. A review of long-term “warm” and “cold” indices of extreme air temperature for 41 weather stations from Croatia for the period 1951–2010 is represented in the Sixth National Communication Report of Croatia under the UNFCCC published by the Ministry for Environment and Nature Protection of Croatia (MZOIP) in 2014, showing a positive trend of “warm” and a negative trend of “cold” indices during the period 1951–2010 which tackled the non-stationarity of extreme air temperature time series. That topic of non-stationarity is more extensively considered using the results of a series of scientific papers published in the international journals which conducted a study of extreme air temperature of the wider Western Europe territory, including Croatia and other countries close to Croatia. Some authors of these papers stated that the GEV distribution parameters have to be considered as a function of time rather than fixed in time using covariates like North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), coherent atmospheric blocking regions, linear trends in data caused by global warming and others covariates. The EVA results, connected with the global climate warming, could contribute to the national Natural Disaster Risk Reduction (NDRR) efforts.