A two to three-fold increase in heatwave activity in the United Kingdom since the late 19th century has been identified in a new analysis of historical daily temperature data led by University of Warwick scientists.
A two to three-fold increase in heatwave activity in the United Kingdom since the late 19th century has been identified in a new analysis of historical daily temperature data led by University of Warwick scientists.
Scientists from the Department of Physics at the University of Warwick and at the London School of Economics examined data from the Central England Temperature (CET) record, the longest available instrumental records of temperature in the world.
Their results show that although heatwaves have occurred in the past, their frequency, duration, and severity have increased. The analysis, published in Geophysical Research Letters, is a new take on one of the few continuous, long term temperature time-series in existence.
The conclusions do not rely on identifying and counting heatwaves directly but instead use observations of daily temperatures to show how the likelihood of different temperatures has changed. By applying a method called crossing theory to these probabilities, the scientists have provided information on the changing relationship between frequency, duration and intensity of heatwaves. This allows for more robust statements about how climate change has affected the characteristics of the heatwaves we experience.
Read more at University of Warwick
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