On the Analysis of the Changes in the Temperatures over Abuja, Nigeria

 

Ikenna C. Orisakwe, Okey K. Nwofor, Clement C. Njoku and Ugochukwu O. Ezedigboh

 

Full Length Research Paper I Published January,2017

 

Journal of Physical Science and Environmental Studies Vol. 3 (1), pp. 8-17

ABSTRACT

The obvious deviation of the air temperatures from its long term mean is a clear indication of the reality of climate change. This research paper examines the seasonal and inter-seasonal trends in the maximum, minimum and mean temperatures over Abuja (9.07oN; 7.6oE), Nigeria, and spanning over three decades. Daily temperature data (from 1983 to 2014) obtained from the archives of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) was used for this study. To obtain our results, we employed two statistical tools vis-à-vis Arithmetic Mean and Trend Analysis (using simple linear regression analysis). The results show a downward trend in the average maximum temperature in the last two decades (1993-2013) and an upward trend in the average minimum and mean temperatures over Abuja. From this study, it is established that global warming has started happening in Abuja, Nigeria. Therefore, we recommend that further studies be carried out to discover the particular kind(s) of greenhouse gases (GHGs) responsible for this observed warming.

Key words: Temperature, Abuja, Trend, Variability, Analysis.

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