Taiwan’s average temperature rose 0.29oC in each of the three 10-year periods from the beginning of the 1990s until 2020, which is higher than the global average increase of 0.21oC, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said.
From 1898 to 2020, Taiwan’s temperature rose by an average of 0.11 degrees per decade, significantly lower than the 0.29 degrees per decade from 1991 to 2020, the CWA said on Facebook on Tuesday, based on data gathered from its 13 low-elevation weather observation stations.
The 13 stations — all at altitudes below 300m — are in Tamsui (淡水), Keelung, Taipei, Hsinchu, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung, Hengchun (恆春), Yilan, Hualien, Chenggong (成功), Taitung and Dawu (大武).
Photo: CNA
Moreover, the impact of the western Pacific subtropical high widened and neared the west of Taiwan in the 2010s, reaching as close as China’s Hainan Island, it said, adding that the effects of the circulation system are making the weather hotter.
Asked about the phenomenon, Lo Tzu-ting (羅資婷), head of the CWA’s climate forecasting division, on Wednesday said that previous studies showed that warming is more significant over land than the ocean and that the northern hemisphere is warming faster than the southern hemisphere because of its larger landmass.
East Asia is warming faster than the global average and this is why Taiwan’s average temperature is surging at a faster rate than the world average, Lo added.
The impact of climate change on East Asia has also caused a weakening of the winter northeast monsoon, making temperature increases in winter more notable than those in summer, she said.
Asked about the impact of El Nino this year, Lo said that such weather events typically occur every five to seven years and therefore the long-term statistical impact of El Nino is relatively small.
In terms of rainfall, although there was no significant change in overall annual precipitation in Taiwan, the intensity of extreme rainfall has increased, the CWA said.
Recent CWA observation data showed that there was a decline in spring rains and the number of consecutive wet days decreased in southern Taiwan.
Climate change will gradually affect Taiwan’s rainfall patterns and the country will become drier in the dry season and wetter in the wet season, with fewer consecutive rainy days, a rising number of consecutive non-rainy days and an increasing number of extreme precipitation events during the plum rain season, the agency said.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
CAUTION: Based on intelligence from the nation’s security agencies, MOFA has cautioned Taiwanese travelers about heightened safety risks in China-friendly countries The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged Taiwanese to be aware of their safety when traveling abroad, especially in countries that are friendly to China. China in June last year issued 22 guidelines that allow its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence activists, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, a government memo and a senior Taiwan security official said, based on information gathered by Taiwan’s intelligence agency. The
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that it is looking to hire 8,000 people this year, at a time when the tech giant is expanding production capacity to maintain its lead over competitors. To attract talent, TSMC would launch a large-scale recruitment campaign on campuses across Taiwan, where a newly recruited engineer with a master’s degree could expect to receive an average salary of NT$2.2 million (US$60,912), which is much higher than the 2023 national average of NT$709,000 for those in the same category, according to government statistics. TSMC, which accounted for more than 60 percent
President William Lai (賴清德) should protect Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), and stop supporting domestic strife and discord, former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) wrote on Facebook yesterday. US President Donald Trump and TSMC on Monday jointly announced that the company would invest an additional US$100 billion over the next few years to expand its semiconductor manufacturing operations in the US. The TSMC plans have promoted concern in Taiwan that it would effectively lead to the chipmaking giant becoming Americanized. The Lai administration lacks tangible policies to address concerns that Taiwan might follow in Ukraine’s footsteps, Ma wrote. Instead, it seems to think it could
RSS