On Temperature Changes in Finland

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Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Perustieteiden korkeakoulu | Master's thesis

Date

2024-06-18

Department

Major/Subject

Thilini Panagoda

Mcode

SCI3053

Degree programme

Master’s Programme in Mathematics and Operations Research

Language

en

Pages

42+4

Series

Abstract

Global climate change causes severe problems to ecosystems, agriculture, human health, and economies. Global warming leads to significant changes in the environment we live in. There is a need for better understanding of the reasons behind and the effects of climate change. That is needed worldwide and also locally in Finland. This study investigates temperature patterns during La Niña periods by analyzing temperature data from four selected cities in Finland. Parametric and non-parametric statistical tests, in particular the two-sample t-test and the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney U test, were utilized in the analysis. The focus was in comparing the daily January minimum temperatures and the daily July maximum temperatures of 1970s La Niña periods to the La Niña year 2022. This study did not find any statistically significant differences in the daily January minimum temperatures between 1970s La Niña periods and year 2022. Also, no statistically significant differences were found in the daily July maximum temperatures between 1970s La Niña periods and year 2022. However, according to the literature, the mean temperature in Finland has increased in recent years. Several factors could explain this discrepancy. In this study, the focus was on minimum and maximum temperatures, not on average temperatures. This study analysed data only from four cities. Moreover, this study was restricted only to certain relatively recent La Niña years.

Description

Supervisor

Ilmonen, Pauliina

Thesis advisor

Ilmonen, Pauliina

Keywords

climate change, temperature data, La Niña periods, Mann-Whitney U test, two-sample t-test

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