HEAT WAVES IN THE ROMANIAN CARPATHIANS DURING THE COLD SEASON

摘要

Heat waves are a representative index frequently used to analyse the incidence of extreme temperature in a given area. A study was undertaken on the frequency and duration of such phenomena in the Romanian Carpathians during the cold season (September 30-May 31). The STARDEX heat wave definition used reads that: there should be at least five consecutive days with daily maximum temperature deviations higher than 5°C from the multiannual average of the day taken into consideration. Investigations had in view the mountain weather stations located >1,000 m above sea level (27 locations) over the 1961-2007 period. Regional patterns of heat waves were expressed by comparing their severity in terms of persistence for the weather stations located both in the alpine, sub-alpine and forest vegetation belts. The results indicated significant increasing frequency trends of heat wave duration associated to the high temperature anomalies recorded during the cold season, especially in the last quarter of the 20th century and after 2000. Low altitude mountain sites are generally most affected by heat wave occurrence.