Southern Hemisphere climate: the modern record

Abstract

This study presents observed trends and variability in the modern climate record for the Southern Hemisphere. High-resolution records of past climate from dendroclimatic studies, which are limited to a few areas, are also presented for the last few centuries. Sufficient land and marine surface temperature observations exist to enable reconstruction of surface temperature trends since 1860. These results are derived from high-quality, long-term climate datasets. These data show that annual surface air temperatures have warmed by O.6°C over the period 1860 to 1994. Trends are similar for all four seasons. The pattern of annual land-only surface temperature trends reflects these broad trends, but is somewhat different. Over the entire period the warming amounts to 0.4°e. Australian and Southern African trends more closely resemble the hemispheric; South American trends differ. In Antarctica, the record commenced only in 1957 and shows slight warming. The Southern Oscillation is an important driver of interannual variability in temperature and precipitation throughout Oceania (Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific) and southern Mrica. Finally, there is a very limited number of potential terrestrial highresolution proxy records to extend the climate record prior to the mid 19th century for the Southern Hemisphere. These show no consistent trend.