Climate change and trends in europe and globally over the period 1970–2023

Abstract

Accurate determination and monitoring of climate indicators are vital for understanding the true scope of climate change, planning effective adaptation and mitigation measures, ensuring the wise use of resources, and fostering public trust and support for necessary climate actions. This study focuses on the current status of climate change indicators and historical trends from 1970 to 2023. It provides a detailed comparative analysis of various climate indicators in Europe and globally, examining monthly and annual trends in key metrics. These indicators include air temperature (T), dew point temperature (T_d), wet bulb temperature (T_w), specific humidity (q), relative humidity (RH), water vapor partial pressure (e), dew point depression (DPD), air density (ρ), total column precipitable water (TCPW), and total precipitation (TP). The study's findings highlight significant changes in these climate indicators across Europe, revealing notable differences from global trends and offering detailed insights into regional variations in climate change impacts. T, T_d, T_w, q, RH, e, DPD, ρ, TCPW, and TP yearly anomalies relative to the 1991–2020 average for Europe in 2023 were found to be +1.0738 °C, +0.8497 °C, +0.8979 °C, +0.4338 g kg⁻¹, -0.9414 %rh, +0.6612 hPa, +0.2241 °C, −0.0048 kg m⁻³, +1.2030 kg m⁻² and +0.0413 m, respectively. However, the same climate indicators were computed globally as follows: +0.6008 °C, +0.4664 °C, +0.4919 °C, +0.2455 g kg⁻¹, -0.5316 %rh, +0.3806 hPa, +0.1343 °C, −0.0026 kg m⁻³, +0.8200 kg m⁻² and -0.0130 m.