TITLE:
Spatial-Temporal Variations in January Temperature in Pakistan and Their Possible Links with SLP and 500-hPa Levels over the Period of 1950-2000: A Geographical Approach
AUTHORS:
Iftikhar Ahmad, Romana Ambreen, Shahzad Sultan, Zhaobo Sun, Weitao Deng
KEYWORDS:
Pakistan, January Temperature, Interannual Variability, Spatial Variations, Empirical Orthogonal Function
JOURNAL NAME:
Atmospheric and Climate Sciences,
Vol.4 No.4,
September
9,
2014
ABSTRACT: By making use of Empirical Orthogonal Function
(EOF) analysis the spatial and temporal variability was investigated in January
over the period of 1950 to 2000 in Pakistan. The analysis is based on the
combination of ground observed mean monthly temperature data and National
Centre for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) reanalysis data of sea level
pressure (SLP) and 500-hPa fields. The results reasonably reveal that the
variation in January temperature have links with global teleconnections at SLP
and 500-hPa pressure heights. The analysis shows variability at interannual to
interdecadal time scale. The interannual variation is more prominent than the
interdecadal signal of temperature anomaly. The simulated coefficient patterns
show reasonable variation with regional detail from south (north) to north
(south) in the study area. The study could be useful as baseline information
for climate change studies in Pakistan.