The Trend of Changes in Relative Humidity in Razavi Khorasan Province, Northeast Iran

فصلنامه آب و توسعه پایدار

Article 5, Volume 10, Issue 2 - Serial Number 28, September 2023, Pages 35-44   

Document Type: Applied Article

DOI: 10.22067/jwsd.v10i2.2302-1220

Authors

zahra Shirmohammadi-Aliakbarkhani^{* 1}; Seyed Farhad Saberali²; Sayyed Mohammad Javad Mirzaei¹; Mohammad Nasser Modoodi³

¹Assistant Professor, Department of Water Science and Engineering, High Educational Complex of Torbat-e Jam, Khorasan Razavi, Iran

²Assistant Professor, Department of Horticultural Science and Engineering, High Educational Complex of Torbat-e Jam, Khorasan Razavi, Iran.

³Assistant Professor, Department of Horticultural Science and Engineering, High Educational Complex of Torbat-e Jam, Khorasan Razavi, Iran

Abstract

The present study was conducted to examine the changes in monthly, seasonal, and annual trends in relative humidity of 13 meteorological stations in the Razavi-Khorasan Province from the beginning of the statistical period of each station until 2021. The study area includes Dargaz, Fariman, Golmakan, Gonabad, Kashmar, Khaf, Neyshabour, Mashhad, Quchan, Sarakhs, Sabzevar, Torbat-e Jam, and Torbat-e Heydarieh counties. Parametric linear regression and the nonparametric Mann-Kendall (MK) test were used to detect trends in relative humidity. The majority of stations have shown decreasing trends at 5% significance level in relative humidity in different time scales, and only in two stations, Quchan (June, December, and autumn season) and Sarakhs (autumn season), the relative humidity showed an increasing trend at 5% significance level. A decrease in monthly mean relative humidity for six stations has been found in the range of 0.7 to 3.5 percent/decade, while an increase for Quchan station 1.9 to 2.6  percent/decade was observed. In addition, most of the studied stations have experienced a decrease in relative humidity on a seasonal and annual scale. A decrease in Seasonal mean relative humidity for six stations has been found in the range of 0.6 to 2 percent/decade, while decreases in annual mean relative humidity stations ranged from 0.9 to 1.6 percent/decade. The results of this research indicate a decreasing trend in the average monthly, annual and seasonal relative humidity during recent years.

Keywords

Climate Change; Relative Humidity; Mann-Kendall Method; Time Series

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