Long-term homogenized and gridded precipitation data for Hungary

A more accurate understanding of climate and its changes requires temporally and spatially representative climate databases. However, measurement conditions change frequently: relocation of stations, instrument changes, changes in measurement time, changes in environmental conditions can all cause inhomogeneities in the data series, and therefore homogenization is needed.

For homogenization of data series, quality control and filling in the missing values we use the MASH (Multiple Analysis of Series for Homogenization) procedure (MASHv3.03 software) at the Climate Department of the Hungarian Meteorological Service (OMSZ). Inhomogeneities are estimated using monthly data series. Monthly, seasonal and annual inhomogeneities are harmonized in all MASH systems, constructed for homogenization of various station systems which consist of stations with different length of data. After homogenization, we have temporally representative data series.

However, weather stations are not evenly distributed, the station network consists of both densely and sparsely covered subregions. In order to estimate the values of meteorological variables at points where no measurements are available, a spatial interpolation method must be used. Our gridded climate datasets are generated using the MISH method (MISHv1.03 software). After interpolation, we have spatially representative climate database.

Currently, the start of the Hungarian precipitation climate database is 1901, but the beginning of regular precipitation measurements started decades earlier, so it is possible to extend the precipitation database in time. In addition, the 131 datasets from the first half of the 20th century that are currently used can be significantly extended, as there are still many undigitized datasets before the 1950s. The collection of monthly precipitation data stored still on paper made it possible to use many more stations from the first half of the 20th century than before, and thus, the precipitation patterns in Hungary in the second half of the 19th century can be analyzed.

In this poster presentation, we will present the new precipitation station systems used for homogenization, the most important verification statistics of the homogenization of precipitation data series, and analyze the gridded spatial means (national averages for Hungary) from the beginning of the measurements to the present.

Acknowledgements:

The research presented was carried out within the framework of the Széchenyi Plan Plus program with the support RRF 2.3.1 21 2022 00008 project.