Wind Characteristics and Temporal Trends in Eastern Paraná State, Brazil

• Published in: Climate (Basel) 2023-03, Vol.11 (3), p.69
• Main Authors: de Bodas Terassi, Paulo, Correia Filho, Washington, Galvani, Emerson, Oscar-Júnior, Antonio, Sobral, Bruno, de Gois, Givanildo, Biffi, Vitor, Oliveira Júnior, José
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anticyclones; atmospheric patterns; Classification schemes; Climate change; complex topography; Detection; effects of urbanization; Hypotheses; Land use; Mann–Kendall test; Meteorology; Missing data; Normal distribution; Probability distribution; Rain; Seasons; Software; Speed; Spring; Spring (season); Statistical analysis; Statistical methods; Statistical tests; Subtropical anticyclones; Surface roughness; Time series; Trends; Urban development; Urban sprawl; Urbanization; Weather stations; Wind; Wind regime; Wind roses; Wind speed; Winds
• ISSN: 2225-1154; 2225-1154
• DOI: 10.3390/cli11030069

The wind is one of the most important and studied variables globally, essential to several sectors, for example, energy. Therefore, this study assesses the wind regime and analysis trends in three locations within the Paraná state, Brazil. The historical series were recorded between 1976 and 2010 at conventional meteorological stations belonging to the Brazilian National Institute of Meteorology. WRPLOT version 8.0.0 software was used for elaborating wind roses and histograms in the annual and seasonal scales. Detection of trends and temporal rupture points was performed using different statistical methods (Run, Mann–Kendall, Pettitt and Shapiro–Wilk tests) for all meteorological stations. All statistical tests were conducted using the R software version 3.3.2. On a seasonal scale, summer and spring present the highest wind speeds in the Curitiba and Paranaguá stations due to meteorological systems on different scales, such as the South Atlantic subtropical anticyclone and frontal systems. The Mann–Kendall test revealed that Castro presented statistical significance in reducing wind speed, with a decrease of 0.23 m/s per decade for the annual scale and 0.23 m/s per decade during the autumn season. These ruptures indicated a decrease in wind speed in Curitiba and Paranaguá for the spring season. The Pettitt test revealed a break point detection in the data series in Curitiba station, likely due to urban expansion that started in the 1980s, reducing wind speed, especially in winter and spring. These trends and ruptures revealed a significant reduction in wind speed, possibly due to the interaction between natural climate changes and the increase in surface roughness resulting from land use and urbanization changes.