Climate Change Chart of South Tarawa, Kiribati

Overview of climate changes

Temperature changes

The unweighted mean difference across calendar-month mean temperatures was an increase of +0.99 °C; this summarizes the months collectively rather than describing every month or a continuous change between the reference periods. The largest monthly increase in mean temperature was in November, at +1.16 °C. These are monthly mean conditions, not daytime maximum temperatures.

Changes in rainfall

Averaged across calendar months, mean daily rainfall showed a difference of -1.49 mm/day. This is an unweighted comparison of monthly means, not a day-weighted annual figure or a monthly rainfall total. The largest monthly decrease in mean daily rainfall occurred in June, with a difference of -4.56 mm/day; the largest monthly increase was in March, at +2.02 mm/day. These month-specific differences show that the overall mean does not describe every month, and daily means should not be read as monthly totals.

Changes in sunshine duration

Across calendar months, the unweighted mean difference in daily sunshine duration was a decrease of -0.16 hours/day. This aggregate describes the monthly means collectively, not a continuous change or the conditions of every individual month. The largest monthly decrease in mean daily sunshine occurred in December, at -0.70 hours/day, while the largest increase was in June, at +0.54 hours/day. These are differences in average daily hours for the specified months, rather than totals.