Changes in Surface Air Temperature, Humidity, and Precipitation Over Toyama Prefecture Due to Global Warming

Abstract

Climate change and its impact on human lives are one of the most important issues at the present time. In this study, changes in temperature, in relative humidity, and in precipitation, which may have brought about by global warming, were detected by a long-term observation of the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). The analysis is particularly significant since it revealed increase in temperature and decrease in relative humidity statistically in two local meteorological observatories in Toyama Prefecture. These changes in broad area of Toyama Prefecture were also investigated by observations during the last three decades. In almost of the area, decreases of ice days and frost days related to the warming in winter and increases of tropical night, hot days, and extreme hot days related to the warming in summer were estimated. Increase in precipitation amount in December and March, and decrease in precipitation days in January and February were also estimated. Prominent climate changes are in spring and autumn, and they presumably affect timing of seasonal transition.