Title: The complexity of regional warming in the United Arab Emirates in the period 1982-2009

Authors: Walter Conca, Khaled Al-Nuaimi, Nicolaas Nagelkerke

Addresses: Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine & Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, P.O. Box 17666, Al Ain, UAE. ' Department of Dermatology, Al Ain Hospital, P.O. Box 1006, Al Ain, UAE. ' Department of Community Medicine, College of Medicine & Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, P.O. Box 17666, Al Ain, UAE

Abstract: Increases in atmospheric temperature are a global phenomenon, but reports of regional climate changes are scarce. Since no long-term air temperature and humidity data were reported from the UAE we obtained routinely collected weather data from three airports in the Emirates. Over the period 1982-2009 in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Al Ain the mean annual temperature increased by up to +3°C. Increases were not linear but showed a distinct warming anomaly in 1998 perhaps reflecting naturally occurring climate dynamics as well as local anthropogenic forcing. Over the same period of time, relative humidity decreased suggesting further desertification.

Keywords: land near-surface air warming; UAE; temperature increases; United Arab Emirates; Persian Gulf; regional warming; warming anomaly; anthropogenic forcing agents; Indian Ocean dipole; relative humidity; regional climate change; global warming; desertification.

DOI: 10.1504/IJGW.2010.036134

International Journal of Global Warming, 2010 Vol.2 No.3, pp.225 - 233

Received: 14 Jan 2010
Accepted: 31 May 2010
Published online: 22 Oct 2010 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article