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GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 33, L11703, doi:10.1029/2006GL026358, 2006

Land use/land cover change effects on temperature trends at U.S. Climate Normals stations

Robert C. Hale

Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA


Kevin P. Gallo

USGS Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA


Timothy W. Owen

NOAA National Climatic Data Center, Asheville, North Carolina, USA


Thomas R. Loveland

USGS Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA


Abstract

Alterations in land use/land cover (LULC) in areas near meteorological observation stations can influence the measurement of climatological variables such as temperature. Urbanization near climate stations has been the focus of considerable research attention, however conversions between non-urban LULC classes may also have an impact. In this study, trends of minimum, maximum, and average temperature at 366 U.S. Climate Normals stations are analyzed based on changes in LULC defined by the U.S. Land Cover Trends Project. Results indicate relatively few significant temperature trends before periods of greatest LULC change, and these are generally evenly divided between warming and cooling trends. In contrast, after the period of greatest LULC change was observed, 95% of the stations that exhibited significant trends (minimum, maximum, or mean temperature) displayed warming trends.

Received 20 March 2006; accepted 1 May 2006; published 3 June 2006.

Index Terms: 1616 Global Change: Climate variability (1635, 3305, 3309, 4215, 4513); 1632 Global Change: Land cover change; 1640 Global Change: Remote sensing (1855); 3305 Atmospheric Processes: Climate change and variability (1616, 1635, 3309, 4215, 4513); 3322 Atmospheric Processes: Land/atmosphere interactions (1218, 1631, 1843).

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Citation: Hale, R. C., K. P. Gallo, T. W. Owen, and T. R. Loveland (2006), Land use/land cover change effects on temperature trends at U.S. Climate Normals stations, Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L11703, doi:10.1029/2006GL026358.