THE INFLUENCE
OF CHANGES IN TELECONNECTION PATTERN
TRENDS ON TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION TRENDS IN
NORTHEASTERN ROMANIA
A. PITICAR, D. RISTOIU
ABSTRACT. – The influence of changes in teleconnection pattern trends on temperature and precipitation trends in northeastern Romania. Influence of changes in teleconnection patterns on temperature and precipitation have been identified in many studies performed at local, regional, or global scales. The research on this issue was poorly approached in Romania. In this paper, the northeastern Romania area was considered. This work is focused on analyzing trends in the time series of air temperature and precipitation at ten stations located in northeastern Romania across 50 years (1961-2010). Using the conditional Mann-Kendall test, these trends are compared with trends in Northern Hemisphere teleconnection indices. The main goal was to estimate the influence of trends in five teleconnection indices on changes in temperature and precipitation in northeastern Romania. The main results suggest that the highest increase in air temperature is typical for summer, followed by an increase in winter time series. The trends in precipitation are both positive and negative in the area, but most of them are statistically insignificant. However a significant increase has been observed in October at the most locations, and a significant decrease in time series of a high altitude station (Ceahlău). Significant changes have occurred in Northern Hemisphere teleconnection indices during 1961-2010. The results of the conditional Mann-Kendall test indicate that the changes in the teleconnection patterns are significantly related to changes in temperature and precipitation in northeastern Romania.
Key words: teleconnection patterns, conditional Mann-Kendall test, trend, northeastern Romania