Winter Climate Change in Osaka City since Late 19th Century

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  • IMAI Chobei
    Osaka City Institute of Public Health and Environmental Sciences

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  • 大阪市における19世紀末以降の冬季2月気候変化
  • オオサカシ ニ オケル 19セイキマツ イコウ ノ トウキ 2ガツ キコウ ヘンカ

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Abstract

Climate change in urban areas is affected by global trends such as global warming and by local trends such as the heat-island phenomenon. Heat islands are formed in urban areas by urbanization. The present paper analyzed winter (February) climate change in Osaka City, central Japan, during the period from 1883 (or 1890) to 2006 using the monthly means or totals of six climate parameters. During these 124 (or 117) years, the monthly means of daily mean, maximum and minimum air temperature increased by 2.7°C, 1.6°C, and 3.6°C, respectively, while the relative humidity decreased by 14%. Rainfall and duration of sunshine showed stable trends with large fluctuations. The relative humidity decreased at a very low rate (5.0% per 100 years) in 1883-1950, but at a higher rate (16% per 100 years) in 1951-2006. Regression of the three temperature parameters and relative humidity to rainfall or sunshine values suggested that the trend difference in temperature and humidity change from the middle of the 20th century cannot be explained by only local natural factors such as rainfall and sunshine, but is mainly due to urbanization.

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