Interannual variations and trends in surface air temperature in Finland in relation to atmospheric circulation patterns, 1961-2011

Annual and seasonal variations in surface air temperature (SAT) during the period 1961–2011 were analysed using daily mean temperature data sets from regular grid points (10 × 10 km2) throughout Finland. The Mann–Kendall nonparametric test was used to detect significant historical trends in SAT and Spearman's correlation coefficient (ρ) to test the relationships between SAT patterns and various atmospheric circulation patterns over the northern hemisphere. The results showed that mean annual SAT in Finland increased (p