| Summary: | The problem regarding a possible warming in Argentina and in the adjacent sub-antarctic region has been studied within the framework of the global warming issue and taking into account the evolution of the global mean surface temperature since 1880. For this reason, the decadal averages of the annual means of the maximum, minimum and daily mean temperature, the vapor pressure and the precipitation corresponding to the periods of 1941-1950 and 1981-1990 have been compared for representative meteorological stations. The decade of 1941-1950 was chosen as a reference one as it is the warmest decade of the period of 1901-1950 in the Argentine Pampa and Chaco plains. Then, the annual mean temperature series and the annual precipitation series from representative stations of the Argentine geographical regions have been analysed. The results of these studies indicate a significant warming in southern Patagonia and South Orkney Islands since the forties or earlier, with the augmentation of each of three temperature parameters being larger than 1°C. North of about 42° S, however, no warming has been observed. Here, mean extreme temperatures vary in opposite directions: the mean maximum temperature decreases, while the mean minimum temperature increases. This behavior is consistent with that of the vapor pressure and the precipitation which - north of 40° S - have increased since the forties. As to the sub-antarctic region in particular, the augmentation of the precipitation observed in Base Orcadas station (South Orkney Islands), which proved to be significant at the confidence level of 1 %, may be partially associated with the general warming in that region.
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