CHANGES IN SOME METEOROLOGICAL PARAMETERS IN THE NIGER DELTA REGION OF NIGERIA BETWEEN 1989 and 1996

Changes in some climatic factors in five locations in the Niger delta region of Nigeria (long. 3 degree E-9 degree E and lat.4 degree 30'N-5 degree 20'N) have been examined with a view to identify the effect of climate change. Data from 1989 to 1996, used for the study were provided by the Meteorological records of the Nigerian meteorological services, Oshodi, Lagos. Results are presented in the form of composite graphs of monthly mean values, and show that all five locations share similar tropical humid climate. The parameters under study were almost all uniform during the period, except perhaps for Calabar and those locations that lie a little away from the coastlines where averages were slightly different. Monthly mean daily values in the area from 1989 - 1996 are: rainfall, 219.77mm; maximum temperature, 31.36 degree C; Minimum temperature, 22.86 degree C; Solar radiation, 11.924MJ/m super( 2); evaporation rate, 2.79mm; relative humidity at 9.00GMT, 80.90%; relative humidity at 15.00 GMT, 65.76%; sunshine duration, 4.06 hrs; cloud cover, 6.88 Oktas. Though a few distortions in the climatic factors coincided with the Pinaturbo volcanic eruption dimmed to have drastically lowered earth's average surface temperatures in 1991, the general pattern of climatic change seem to indicate consistent trend.