Spatio‐temporal rainfall variability and trend analysis in the Tekeze‐Atbara river basin, northwestern Ethiopia

Abstract

Spatial and temporal rainfall variability analysis at a basin scale is essential to understand water availability for sustainable water resource management. This study investigated the spatial distribution and temporal rainfall trend in the Tekeze river basin using daily rainfall data collected from 43 meteorological stations with records from 1960 to 2019. Coefficient of variation, seasonality index (SI) and trend index were used to evaluate monthly, seasonal and annual rainfall variability in the basin. The non‐parametric Mann‐Kendall's test was used to understand any rainfall trends. Results showed that there is moderate annual rainfall variability in the basin. Rainfall variability is higher in the Tsedey, Bega and Belg than kiremt season. SI results showed that majority of the Tekeze river basin is categorized as seasonal, most of the rain occurring in less than 3 months. Overall, Mann‐Kendall's test result revealed that there is no significant annual rainfall trend in the basin except for four stations. The seasonal rainfall characteristics and short duration of rain in the basin indicate that there is a need to implement water harvesting measures during the wet season for use in the dry periods.

Grid-based climate variability analysis of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

“…One essential statistical measure employed in this analysis is the coefficient of variation (CV). CV serves as a valuable tool for assessing the year-to-year variability within temperature datasets, presenting the degree of variation as a percentage relative to the mean temperature [ 25 , 120 ]. The CV (Eq.…”

“…Despite facing heightened exposure to climate change, Africa exhibits limited capacity for adaptation [ [20] , [21] , [22] , [23] ], partly due to a dearth of climate literacy [ 13 ]. This vulnerability is further exacerbated in developing nations, especially within sub-Saharan Africa [ 24 , 25 ], disproportionately affecting low-income countries in tropical and subtropical regions [ [26] , [27] , [28] ]. Specific studies have pointed to temperature increases in countries such as Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania [ 29 ].…”

Editorial: Atmospheric processes and applications in urban, coastal and mountainous terrain

“…Furthermore, long-term planning and strategic decisions can be supported by the climatological assessment of rainfall trends from the analysis of sufficiently long time series. In this Special Issue Abebe et al (2022) present results from the analysis of data from 43 weather stations in the period 1960-2019 in the Tekeze River basin (Ethiopia), characterised by high orographic complexity, whereas Konduru et al (2022) analyse data from a combination of different sources, including TRMM satellite, MERRA-2 reanalysis and gridded in-situ surface observations, to study the climatology of the spatial movement of the diurnal precipitation peak over south India during the summer monsoon.…”

GIS-based spatio-temporal analysis of rainfall trends under climate change in different agro-ecological zones of Wolaita zone, south Ethiopia

“…High temporal and spatial variability in Ethiopia's Belg season rainfall has an impact on household level food security and Belg season crops [ 28 , 29 ]. The changes and alterations observed in Belg season rainfall patterns are anticipated to lead to severe drought conditions, significantly impacting socioeconomic welfare and environmental resources [ 30 ].…”