The China Post News desk
Publication Date: 29-12-2009 The Central Weather Bureau (CWB) on Tuesday published a study on weather changes in Taiwan over the past century, which showed that local temperatures had risen by an average of 0.8 degrees Celsius. The average temperature rose by 1.2 degrees in plains areas and 1.4 degrees in metropolitan areas, according to the study, which compiled weather change statistics between 1897 and 2008. One noteworthy finding was that the minimum temperature increased by 2.1 degrees while the maximum temperature rose by 0.7 degrees on average in metropolitan areas. “The gap shows that the increase in temperatures at night was greater than in the daytime,” a CWB official said. The survey also found that affected by global warming, Taiwan’s isotherms have been pushed northwards by around 150 kilometers. The warming trend also has affected mountain areas, with the average temperature in mountainous areas rising by around 0.6 degrees, and has also lifted the critical altitude for living animals by about 100 meters from a century ago. The CWB also confirmed the general feelings of many local residents: winters are not quite as cold as they have been in the past and the rest of the year is getting warmer. Over the past five decades, the number of days with temperature lows falling below 10 degrees Celsius fell by 19 days in mountainous areas but only one day in low-lying areas. But the number of days with temperatures rising to more than 30 degrees Celsius increased by 28 days in Taiwan proper, though only two days in mountainous areas, and 41 days in its outlying islands. Though temperatures were up, the amount of sun most parts of Taiwan have received has been on the decline, which the CWB attributed to air pollution and suspended particles that had blocked the sunshine. …
Taiwan feels global warming, say report via The Oil Drum
