Temperature extremes in the Mediterranean area: trends in the past and assessments for the future

Abstract

Trends of Mediterranean extreme temperatures are analysed for the period 1961–1990 based on daily station time series. Increases can be identified in the western Mediterranean area, whereas an opposite trend becomes apparent for the eastern Mediterranean region. Assessments of the 95th percentile of maximum temperatures in summer and of the 5th percentile of minimum temperatures in winter for the 21st century under enhanced greenhouse warming conditions are performed by means of statistical downscaling techniques. Mainly increases of both extreme indices result from these assessments, but considerable differences arise when using different predictors or predictor combinations, respectively. Furthermore, the results give strong indications that changes in temperature extremes do not follow a simple shift of the whole temperature distribution to higher values.