A Continuous Decline of Global Seasonal Wind Speed Range over Land since 1980

To investigate changes in global wind speed phenomena, we constructed homogenized monthly time series (1980-2018) for 4722 meteorological stations. Through examining monthly averaged wind speeds (MWS), we found that seasonal wind speed range (SWSR; calculated as the difference between maximum and minimum MWS) has declined significantly by 10% since 1980 (p < 0.001). This global SWSR reduction was primarily influenced by decreases in Europe (-19%), South America (-16%), Australia (-14%), and Asia (-13%), with corresponding rate reductions of -0.13, -0.08, -0.09, and -0.06 m s(-1) decade(-1), respectively (p < 0.01). In contrast, the SWSR in North America rose 3%. Important is that the decrease in SWSR occurred regardless of the stilling or reversal of annual wind speed. The shrinking SWSR in Australia and South America was characterized by continuous decreases in maximum MWS and increases in the minimum For Europe and Asia, maximum and minimum MWS declined initially after 1980, followed by substantial increases in minimum MWS (about 2000 and 2012, respectively) that preserved the long-term reduction in the range. Most reanalysis products (ERAS, ERA-Interim, and MERRA-2) and climate model simulations (AMIP6 and CMIP6) fail to reproduce the observed trends. However, some ocean-atmosphere indices (seasonality characteristics) were correlated significantly with these trends, including the Western Hemisphere warm pool, East Atlantic pattern, Pacific decadal oscillation, and others. These findings are important for increasing the understanding of mechanisms behind wind speed variations that influence a multitude of other biogeophysical processes and the development of efficient wind power generation, now and in the future.

Automated summary

The study found that the seasonal wind speed range globally has declined by 10% since 1980, with significant decreases in Europe, South America, Australia, and Asia. However, North America saw an increase in the wind speed range. The findings are important for understanding the mechanisms behind wind speed variations and their implications for wind power generation.