Climate Change Trends in a European Coastal Metropolitan Area: Rainfall, Temperature, and Extreme Events (1864–2021)

This paper summarises an updated climate change trends analysis—developed for the period from 1 October 1864 to 30 September 2021 within scope of a Horizon 2020-funded project increase resilience in European coastal cities—for representative site Lisbon Metropolitan Area (Portugal). By using long ground-based daily records rainfall and surface temperature at Lisboa-Geofísico climatological station, analysis aimed identify (i) long-term recent temperature, (ii) changes extreme rainfalls, heatwaves, droughts, (iii) possible effects coupled minimum maximum temperatures (Tmin Tmax, respectively) on drought development based diurnal range (DTR) indicator. To detect these quantify their magnitude, Mann?Kendall Sen’s slope estimator tests were implemented. The mean annual indicated that study area has warmed ?1.91 °C through 157 analysed years. Results evidenced statistically significant upward both Tmin number Tmax heatwave days. In what concerns hydrological events, series peaks-over-threshold (POT) techniques showed more frequent intense events years, reaching up ?120.0 mm single day. With regard drought, proved characterisation commonly used standardised precipitation index (SPI) might differ evapotranspiration (SPEI), as latter can take into account not only but also important trigger drought. According SPEI index, severe conditions have been last 60 years than any other recorded period. Finally, decreasing DTR trend towards present was found influence rates thus characteristics.