Variability of maximum temperature and its decadal anomaly over Nigeria: Possible connection with Solar and geomagnetic activity

International Journal of Physical Sciences

Moses Owoicho Audu¹ 

关键词: Temperature anomaly;    global warming;    solar activities;    climate change;    Nigeria.;   

DOI  :  10.5897/IJPS2017.4643

学科分类：物理（综合）

来源: Academic Journals

【 摘 要 】

This work investigates the variability of maximum temperature and its decadal anomaly in Nigeria and the possible role of Solar and geomagnetic activity. Descriptive, bivariate and spectral analyses, as well as Mann-Kendall trend test, were employed in analyzing the data used in this study. Temperature anomaly was computed using the base period, 1981 – 2010. Results revealed that seasonally, temperature varies across the country from the coastal areas to the northern regions. The highest temperature (38.7 – 40.6°C) was recorded in April (the transition period from dry to rainy seasons), while the lowest temperature (27.5 – 28.5°C) was observed in August (the peak of cloud activity). The results of the decadal temperature anomaly revealed that temperature increases steadily from first decade (1951 – 1960) to sixth decade (2001 – 2010). This was confirmed by the Mann-Kendall trend test. This increasing trend could be understood as a result of global warming. This is an evidence of climate change. The correlations of temperature with solar indices were statistically insignificance. The spectral analysis revealed similar periodicity in the spectral of temperature and solar indices. The significant peaks observed on the spectral of maximum temperature were referenced to Schwabe, Hale and Gleisberg cycles. This suggests that Solar and geomagnetic activity might play a significant role in climate change observed in the country.

【 授权许可】

CC BY