Trend Analysis of Climatic and Hydrological Parameters in Ajora-Woybo Watershed, Omo-Gibe River Basin, Ethiopia

Abstract

The identification of hydro-meteorological trends is essential for analyzing climate change and river discharge at the watershed level. The Ajora-Woybo watershed in Ethiopia was studied for long-term trends in rainfall, temperature, and discharge at the annual, monthly, and seasonal time scales. The rainfall and temperature data extend 1990 to 2020, whereas the discharge data span 1990 to 2015. The Pettit and SNHT tests were used to determine homogeneity. The Mann-Kendall and Sen's slope tests, as well as several variability measures, were then employed for trend analysis. The degree of relationship between climate variables and river discharge was determined using Pearson correlation coefficients (r). Inhomogeneity was discovered in annual rainfall data from the Angacha and Areka stations. Rainfall and discharge showed insignificant trends over time, with increasing and decreasing variability across stations. Monthly rainfall trends were observed to be significantly falling in February and March. Rainfall and runoff increase just insignificantly during the Kiremt season. Maximum, minimum, and mean annual temperatures, on the other hand, showed significant trends with annual increases of 0.04oC, 0.01oC, and 0.025oC, respectively. In this study, the relationships between discharge and temperature and rainfall were found to be minimal. Overall, the results of the long-term examination of the factors in the watershed show that water resources vary throughout and over time. As a result, caution is essential in designing appropriate strategies for water resource planning and sustainable development in the watershed.