Changes in the anomalies of extreme temperature anomalies in the 20th century at Swiss climatological stations located at different latitudes and altitudes

The extreme values of a particular climatological variable determine the th resholds of vulnerability of different environmental systems. Extremes of t emperature, beyond a given threshold, may exert irreversible damage on ecos ystems, for example, while winds exceeding a given limit will have numerous impacts on vegetation and human infrastructure. The results of the present study highlight the change in the seasonal tempe rature limits at different latitudes and altitudes in Switzerland. Winter m inimum temperatures at high altitude sites and summer maximum temperatures at low altitude sites in the north, in particular, have changed considerabl y during the last decade. Since annual extremes are seen to occur either du ring summer or winter, and much less during the intermediate seasons of spr ing and autumn, the change in summer and winter extremes are likely to have a significant impact on a number of biospheric, cryospheric, hydrologic an d managed systems.