Japan's summers have lengthened by 3 weeks over 42 years, say resaerchers
14 hours ago
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- #Japan
- #climate change
- Japanese summers have lengthened by about three weeks from 1982 to 2023 due to climate change.
- The research group from Mie University found that summer days increased annually, while winter remained unchanged, and spring and fall shortened.
- Global warming and rising sea surface temperatures are cited as the main factors for longer summers.
- The study defined summer based on temperature benchmarks, analyzing data from about 200 zones across Japan.
- Summer start dates advanced by 12.6 days, and end dates delayed by 8.8 days, extending summer by approximately 21.4 days.
- In 1982, summer lasted 92 days (June 29–Sept. 28), but by 2023, it extended to 121 days (June 11–Oct. 9).
- Rising sea surface temperatures prevent cooling from continental airflows, causing earlier summer onset and delayed end.
- Winter duration shows little change due to persistent cold waves from the continent.