5 Climate Change Impact on Hydrological Regimes …
93
Table 1
(continued)
Author (s)
Temperature parameters analysed
Study Area
Conclusions
Department of Environmental Affairs,
(2013)
Maximum temperature
Minimum temperature
Mean annual temperature
Mean annual temperatures have
increased by at least 1.5 times the
observed global average of 0.65°C
reported by IPCC AR4 for the past five
decades
Maximum and minimum temperatures
show significant increases annually, and
in almost all seasons. A notable
exception is the central interior (zone 3,
Vaal), where minimum temperatures
have been increasing less strongly, and
some decreases have been observed
High temperature extremes have
increased significantly in frequency, and
low temperatures have decreased
significantly in frequency annually and
in most seasons across the country, but
particularly in the western and northern
interior of the country. The rate of
temperature change has fluctuated, with
the highest rates of increase from the
middle 1970s to the early 1980 s, and
again in the late 1990s to middle 2000s
(continued)