Surface temperature

Surface temperature refers to the temperature of the Earth’s surface, which is influenced by various factors such as solar radiation, greenhouse gases, and land use changes. Changes in air surface temperature affect many sectors and various aspects of decision-making. More frequent and intense extreme heat events can lead to human health issues and agricultural damage. Warming temperatures, both during the day and at night, also lead to an increase in energy usage needed to maintain indoor comfort.

In this section/notebook we look at three indicators of surface temperature change. Using observations from the Koror meteorological station we will create plots that show changes in the mean surface temperature, minimum and maximum surface temperature, and the amount of hot days and cool nights. Hot days are defined as days above the 90th percentile for that same calendar day (e.g., January 15th) from the 1960–1990 period, while cold nights are defined as days below the 10th percentile for that same calendar day in the 1960–1990 period. We will also create a table that summarizes these results.