Temperature analysis as an indicator of climate change in the Central Palestinian Mountains

Abstract

Global warming is an anthropogenic-related phenomenon that is affecting the available natural resources, especially water in arid and semiarid regions. Such phenomenon can affect countries with very limited water resources, such as in the Middle East in general and in Palestine specifically. The effect of multiple temporal scales (annual, seasonal, and monthly levels) on temperature trends as an indication of climate change in the Central Palestinian Mountains of the Middle East was studied. Analysis of the available thermal data from 1970 to 2011 was done to test whether the Central Palestinian Mountains is subjected to warming or not. The results showed an increase in temperature during different months of the year, but such increase was statistically significant for the months from June to December and ranging from 0.6 °C in September to 1.2 °C in August. Besides, summer and autumn were the seasons that temperature increased significantly, where such increase equals to 1.1 and 1.8 °C, respectively. Finally, the mean annual temperature was also subjected to a significant increase by about 0.8 °C during the study period, especially after 1990. The results warrant proper policies and suitable adaptation measures by the concerned authorities in the study area so as to release the negative consequences and preserve the limited water resources.Fund from the Vice President for Academic Affairs at Birzeit Universit