Method for Trend Detection in Climatological Variables

Abstract

This paper presents a time-series methodology by which a significant trend in climatological variables can be identified and notes how this trend may be related to other climatological variables. The evapotranspiration (ET) record at a monitoring site near Davis, California, shows an upward trend in both the ET and wind speed series. A review of the site history indicates that the upward trend in the wind series is due to relocating the site from the middle of an agricultural field to a more open area. Further analysis of the series indicates that this increase in wind speed has some effect on the yearly ET totals, but could not be used to completely explain the increasing trend in ET.