Long-term homogenized air temperature and precipitation datasets in Romania, 1901-2023

Area of Science:

• Climatology
• Meteorology
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Historical climate data often contains inconsistencies.
• Changes in measurement techniques, station locations, and operational practices introduce non-climatic biases.
• Accurate long-term climate data is crucial for understanding climate variability and change.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present RoClimHom, the first long-term homogenized dataset of daily air temperature and precipitation for Romania.
• To address and eliminate historical inconsistencies and non-climatic biases in climate measurements.
• To provide a robust, gap-free climate dataset for Romania spanning 1901-2023.

Main Methods:

• Data homogenization methodology applied to daily air temperature (Tavg, Tmax, Tmin) and precipitation (PREC) measurements.
• Involved multi-stage processing: data preprocessing, rigorous quality control, and breakpoint detection.
• Elimination of non-climatic biases caused by station changes and procedural shifts.

Main Results:

• Developed RoClimHom, a homogenized climate dataset from 156 Romanian weather stations.
• The dataset covers daily mean, maximum, and minimum air temperatures (T2m) and precipitation (PREC) from 1901 to 2023.
• Successfully removed biases from measurement inconsistencies, ensuring data reliability.

Conclusions:

• RoClimHom provides a reliable, long-term, homogenized climate dataset for Romania.
• This dataset is an essential resource for climate change assessment, research, and policy-making.
• Facilitates a better understanding of Romania's climate variability and long-term trends.