Rainfall Variability and Teleconnections with Large-Scale Atmospheric Circulation Patterns in West-Central Morocco
Morocco is characterized by a semi-arid climate influenced by the Mediterranean, Atlantic, and Saharan environments, resulting in high variability in rainfall and hydrological conditions. Certain regions suffer from insufficient understanding concerning the spatiotemporal patterns of precipitation,...
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ftmdpi:oai:mdpi.com:/2073-4433/14/8/1293/ 2023-09-05T13:21:40+02:00 Rainfall Variability and Teleconnections with Large-Scale Atmospheric Circulation Patterns in West-Central Morocco Sara Boughdadi Yassine Ait Brahim Abdelhafid El Alaoui El Fels Mohamed Elmehdi Saidi agris 2023-08-16 application/pdf https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos14081293 EN eng Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute Climatology https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/atmos14081293 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Atmosphere; Volume 14; Issue 8; Pages: 1293 Morocco precipitation NAO WeMO climate North Africa Text 2023 ftmdpi https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos14081293 2023-08-20T23:52:47Z Morocco is characterized by a semi-arid climate influenced by the Mediterranean, Atlantic, and Saharan environments, resulting in high variability in rainfall and hydrological conditions. Certain regions suffer from insufficient understanding concerning the spatiotemporal patterns of precipitation, along with facing recurrent periods of drought. This study aims to characterize the current trends and periodicities of precipitation in west-central Morocco at monthly and annual scales, using data from six rain gauges. The link between monthly precipitation and both the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the Western Mediterranean Oscillation (WeMO) indices was tested to identify potential teleconnections with large-scale variability modes. The results reveal interannual variability in precipitation and climate indices, while showing decreasing insignificant trends in annual precipitation. On a monthly scale, temporal precipitation patterns are similar to the annual scale. Furthermore, a remarkably robust and significant component with a periodicity of 6–8 years emerges consistently across all monitoring stations. Intriguingly, this band exhibits a more pronounced presence on the plains as opposed to the mountainous stations. Additionally, it is noteworthy that the NAO modulated winter precipitation, whereas the influence of the WeMO extends until March and April. This mode could be linked to the fluctuations of the WeMO from 1985 to 2005 and, subsequently, to NAO variations. Indeed, this is consistent with the strong significant correlations observed between rainfall and the NAO/WeMO. This study serves as a baseline for future research aiming to understand the influence of climate indices on rainfall in the North African region. Text North Atlantic North Atlantic oscillation MDPI Open Access Publishing Atmosphere 14 8 1293 |
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English |
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Morocco precipitation NAO WeMO climate North Africa |
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Morocco precipitation NAO WeMO climate North Africa Sara Boughdadi Yassine Ait Brahim Abdelhafid El Alaoui El Fels Mohamed Elmehdi Saidi Rainfall Variability and Teleconnections with Large-Scale Atmospheric Circulation Patterns in West-Central Morocco |
topic_facet |
Morocco precipitation NAO WeMO climate North Africa |
description |
Morocco is characterized by a semi-arid climate influenced by the Mediterranean, Atlantic, and Saharan environments, resulting in high variability in rainfall and hydrological conditions. Certain regions suffer from insufficient understanding concerning the spatiotemporal patterns of precipitation, along with facing recurrent periods of drought. This study aims to characterize the current trends and periodicities of precipitation in west-central Morocco at monthly and annual scales, using data from six rain gauges. The link between monthly precipitation and both the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the Western Mediterranean Oscillation (WeMO) indices was tested to identify potential teleconnections with large-scale variability modes. The results reveal interannual variability in precipitation and climate indices, while showing decreasing insignificant trends in annual precipitation. On a monthly scale, temporal precipitation patterns are similar to the annual scale. Furthermore, a remarkably robust and significant component with a periodicity of 6–8 years emerges consistently across all monitoring stations. Intriguingly, this band exhibits a more pronounced presence on the plains as opposed to the mountainous stations. Additionally, it is noteworthy that the NAO modulated winter precipitation, whereas the influence of the WeMO extends until March and April. This mode could be linked to the fluctuations of the WeMO from 1985 to 2005 and, subsequently, to NAO variations. Indeed, this is consistent with the strong significant correlations observed between rainfall and the NAO/WeMO. This study serves as a baseline for future research aiming to understand the influence of climate indices on rainfall in the North African region. |
format |
Text |
author |
Sara Boughdadi Yassine Ait Brahim Abdelhafid El Alaoui El Fels Mohamed Elmehdi Saidi |
author_facet |
Sara Boughdadi Yassine Ait Brahim Abdelhafid El Alaoui El Fels Mohamed Elmehdi Saidi |
author_sort |
Sara Boughdadi |
title |
Rainfall Variability and Teleconnections with Large-Scale Atmospheric Circulation Patterns in West-Central Morocco |
title_short |
Rainfall Variability and Teleconnections with Large-Scale Atmospheric Circulation Patterns in West-Central Morocco |
title_full |
Rainfall Variability and Teleconnections with Large-Scale Atmospheric Circulation Patterns in West-Central Morocco |
title_fullStr |
Rainfall Variability and Teleconnections with Large-Scale Atmospheric Circulation Patterns in West-Central Morocco |
title_full_unstemmed |
Rainfall Variability and Teleconnections with Large-Scale Atmospheric Circulation Patterns in West-Central Morocco |
title_sort |
rainfall variability and teleconnections with large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns in west-central morocco |
publisher |
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos14081293 |
op_coverage |
agris |
genre |
North Atlantic North Atlantic oscillation |
genre_facet |
North Atlantic North Atlantic oscillation |
op_source |
Atmosphere; Volume 14; Issue 8; Pages: 1293 |
op_relation |
Climatology https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/atmos14081293 |
op_rights |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos14081293 |
container_title |
Atmosphere |
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14 |
container_issue |
8 |
container_start_page |
1293 |
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1776202249813360640 |