Trends in climatic variability in the State of Santa Catarina, Brazil

The objective of this work was to analyse the monthly variability of maximum temperature, minimum temperature, average temperature and rainfall in Santa Catarina, in three different periods from 1955 to 2008, in order to: 1) identify points with climatic change behavior, and 2) determine the climatic trends for these periods. To identify the points of climatic changes of time series the Standard Normal Homogeneity Test (SNHT) was used. The Regression Analysis and Mann-Kendall tests were used to assess the meteorological variables trends in different periods divided into points of descontinnity. Changes were identified in the behavior of the maximum temperature (minimum temperature) during 1995 to 1997 (from 1988 to 1991) showing a tendency to decrease (increase) since the mid 1950s. Considering the average temperature and the rainfall there is no defined period of change in temporal behavior, but a slight trend of increase.