Climate change in NE Mexico: influence of the Nort Atlantic Oscillation

• Published in: Investigaciones Geográficas
• Main Authors: Norma Sánchez López, René Garduño López, Rosalía Vidal Zepeda, Rubén Sánchez Trejo
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English; Spanish
• Published: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México 2012
• Subjects: climate change; exploratory analysis; multivariate techniques; XX century; NAO; Geography. Anthropology. Recreation; G; Geography (General); G1-922; North Atlantic; North Atlantic oscillation
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.14350/rig.32465; https://doaj.org/article/2922dd7537c846fd874a276c02f1c42a

An exploratory analysis of temperature, precipitation and evaporation records, in five localities of Tamaulipas state (NE Mexico), spanning from about 30s decade of XX century until first years of the XXI, is made by means of multivaried statistical techniques. A change point is detected in 1964. By comparing the period former to this year with the period 1964-2002, a significant decrease of temperature is observed in four out of the five localities, in three ones there is a light increase of precipitation and in the another two it is greater; finally, four of them have an important decrease in evaporation. According to the Köppen´s system of climatic classification adapted to the Mexican Republic, the climate type changed in three out of the studied localities, passing from dry to warm sub-humid. North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is analyzed as a possible cause of this behavior. The results suggest that the statistical methodology used is suitable for long term climate studies.