Spatial and temporal variability of rainfall in the Nile Basin

• Main Authors: Onyutha, Charles, Willems, Patrick
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: European Geophysical Society 2014
• Subjects: Rainfall; Nile basin; Climate variability; Indian; Pacific; North Atlantic
• Online Access: https://lirias.kuleuven.be/handle/123456789/475578; https://doi.org/10.5194/hessd-18-1-2014; https://lirias.kuleuven.be/bitstream/123456789/475578/4//Onyutha_and_Willems_2014_hessd-11-11945-2014.pdf

Spatio-temporal variability in annual and seasonal rainfall totals were assessed at 37 locations of the Nile Basin in Africa using quantile perturbation method. To get insight into the spatial difference in rainfall statistics, the stations were grouped based on the pattern of the long-term mean of monthly rainfall and that of temporal variability. To find the origin of the driving forces for the temporal variability in rainfall, correlation analyses were carried out using global monthly sea level pressure and surface temperature. Further investigations to support the obtained correlations were made using a total of 10 climate indices. It was possible to obtain 3 groups of stations; those within the equatorial region (A), Sudan and Ethiopia (B), and Egypt (C). For group A, annual rainfall was found to be below (above) the reference during the late 1940s to 1950s (1960s to mid 1980s). Conversely for groups B and C, the period 1930s to late 1950s (1960s to 1980s) was characterized by anomalies being above (below) the reference. For group A, significant linkages were found to Niño 3, Niño 3.4 and the North Atlantic and Indian Ocean drivers. Correlations of annual rainfall of group A with Pacific Oceanrelated climate indices were inconclusive. With respect to the main wet seasons, the June to September rainfall of group B has strong connection to the influence from the Indian Ocean. For the March to May (October to February) rainfall of group A (C), possible links to the Atlantic and Indian Oceans were found. status: published