Global Climate Change in Florida?
Winter Temperature Trends
Summer Temperature Trends
A Closer Look – De Funiak Springs
Town is located to the northeast
of Eglin AFB, a large expanse of
undeveloped forests.
Surrounding countryside
consists of pastures, farmland,
and pine forests.
Station located at Showel
Farms, 3 miles to the east of
the city.
Walton County population is
very low at around 40,000.
USHCN station (unadjusted
data)
A Closer Look – Arcadia
Small Town surrounded by
pastures, citrus groves, pine
stands, and lowlands.
Station located at the water
treatment plant inside the city
limits.
Arcadia has grown very little in
the last 40 years and only has a
population of around 10,000.
USHCN station (unadjusted
data)
A Closer Look – Fort Myers
Station located at Page Field
near downtown Fort Myers.
The city of Fort Myers has
experienced tremendous urban
sprawl in the last 40 years.
Lee county population has
ballooned from 60,000 to over a
half million in the last 40 years.
USHCN station (unadjusted
data)
A Closer Look – Belle Glade
Small Farming community near
the southern shore of Lake
Okeechobee.
Station located 2.5 miles south
of town at the Agriculture
Experiment Station.
Relatively stable population.
USHCN station (unadjusted
data)
Data record SHOULD be
reflective of predominant
climate trends.
Wrong!!! – Land Use Change
Land cover maps of Florida
from the pre-1900’s and from
1993 show the area south of
Okeechobee now surrounded by
irrigated sugar cane fields.
Mesoscale modeling has shown
large summertime temperature
differences in the area from
differences in land use (Marshall,
et al., 2004).
Temperature difference in degrees C
Modeled of Land Use (July – Aug.)
Impactsdifferences in convective summerChanges
rainfall using pre-1900 and 1993 land cover.
1973 1989 1994
Marshall, Pielke, et. al. 2004