Recent trends in the climate of Namaqualand, a megadiverse arid region of South Africa

Namaqualand is especially vulnerable to future climate change impacts. Using a high-resolution gridded data set (CRU TS 3.1) and individual weather station data, the authors demonstrated that temperatures as well as frequency of hot extremes have increased across this region. Of the five weather sta...

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Published inSouth African Journal of Science Vol. 112; no. 3/4; p. 1
Main Authors Davis, Claire L, Hoffman, M Timm, Roberts, Wesley
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Pretoria African Online Scientific Information Systems (Pty) Ltd t/a AOSIS 01.03.2016
Academy of Science of South Africa
Subjects
Biodiversity
Climate change
climate extreme
Climatic changes
Coasts
Cold
Ecosystems
evapotranspiration
Flowers & plants
Fog
Forecasts and trends
Livestock
Rain
rainfall
Studies
Temperature
trend analysis
Trends
Winter
South Africa
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Summary:Namaqualand is especially vulnerable to future climate change impacts. Using a high-resolution gridded data set (CRU TS 3.1) and individual weather station data, the authors demonstrated that temperatures as well as frequency of hot extremes have increased across this region. Of the five weather stations analysed, two showed evidence of a significant increase in the duration of warm spells of up to 5 days per decade and a reduction in the number of cool days (TX10P) by up to 3 days per decade. In terms of rainfall, they found no clear evidence for a significant change in annual totals or the frequency or intensity of rainfall events. Seasonal trends in rainfall did, however, demonstrate some spatial variability across the region. Overall, the results presented in this study provide evidence-based information for the management of climate change impacts as well as the development of appropriate adaptation responses at a local scale.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
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ISSN:0038-2353
1996-7489
DOI:10.17159/sajs.2016/20150217