Diurnal asymmetry of surface temperature trends over India

Abstract

Diurnal asymmetry of the recent surface warming, reported for several continental areas, is believed to be related to changes in cloudiness, humidity, atmospheric circulation patterns, winds and soil moisture. This paper presents linear trend analyses of maximum and minimum temperature data at 121 stations in India during the period 1901-87. While the mean temperature trends over India are similar to the global and hemispheric trends, there are marked differences in their diurnal manifestation from those reported for other areas. The increase in the mean temperatures over India is almost solely contributed by the maximum temperatures, with the minimum temperatures remaining practically trendless, leading to an increase in the diurnal range of temperatures. These trends do not show any significant urban or altitude bias. There are some differences in the trends on smaller spatial and temporal scales, but the increase of maximum temperature is predominant over a major part of India, particularly in winter and post-monsoon seasons.