Climate Variability Impact on the Spatiotemporal Characteristics of Drought and Aridityin Arid and Semi-Arid Regions

Abstract

Investigating the spatiotemporal distribution of climate data and their impact on the allocation of the regional aridity and meteorological drought, particularly in semi-arid and arid climate, it is critical to evaluate the climate variability effect and propose sufficient adaptation strategies. The coefficient of variation, precipitation concentration index and anomaly index were used to evaluate the climate variability, while the Mann-Kendall and Sen's slope were applied for trend analysis, together with homogeneity tests. The aridity was evaluated using the alpha form of the reconnaissance drought index (Mohammed & Scholz, Water Resour Manag 31(1):531-538, 2017c), whereas drought episodes were predicted by applying three of the commonly used meteorological drought indices, which are the standardised reconnaissance drought index, standardized precipitation index and standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index. The Upper Zab River Basin (UZRB), which is located in the northern part of Iraq and covers a high range of climate variability, has been considered as an illustrative basin for arid and semiarid climatic conditions. There were general increasing trends in average temperature and potential evapotranspiration and decreasing trends in precipitation from the upstream to the downstream of the UZRB. The long-term analysis of climate data indicates that the number of dry years has temporally risen and the basin has experienced succeeding years of drought, particularly after 1994/1995. There was a potential link between drought, aridity and climate variability. Pettitt's, SNHT, Buishand's and von Neumann's homogeneity test results demonstrated that there is an evident alteration in the mean of the drought and aridity between the pre-and post-alteration point (1994).

Spatiotemporal Characteristics of Meteorological Drought During the Past Half Century in Different Climates Over Iran

“…Drought years and intensity have been explored, along with the comparison of a recent long drought (1999)(2000)(2001)(2002) by 15 indices in Pakistan (Adnan et al 2018). (Mohammed and Scholz 2019) reported that the long-term analysis of climate data indicates that the number of dry years has temporally risen in a basin of Iraq, after 1994-95. The SPEI recognized the highest number of drought occurrences with high duration and intensity as compared to SPI and RDI, and usually recommends assessing the impact of drought effectively in the semiarid (arid) region (Pathak and Dodamani 2020). The drought evaluations showed low frequency and longer durations at 12-, 18-, and 24-month timescales in southern Africa.…”

Assessing The Impacts of Climate Variability on Rural Households in Agricultural Land Through The Application of Livelihood Vulnerability Index

“…It follows that the average SPI for the target location and the chosen period is zero. Negative SPI numbers specify less than median or long-term average rainfall, whereas positive SPI values indicate greater than median rainfall (Mohammed & Scholz, 2019).…”

Long-Term Variability in Potential Evapotranspiration, Water Availability and Drought under Climate Change Scenarios in the Awash River Basin, Ethiopia

“…Climate change and anthropogenic factors cause long-term variability in the meteorological parameters of a watershed, leading to changes in the hydrological cycle [1]. Precipitation and temperature are the major meteorological parameters that have a direct effect on the hydrological cycle.…”

“…Understanding the impacts of climate change on the hydrological processes of a watershed is vital to the establishment of sustainable environmental management strategies aimed at improving water management [1]. The spatial and temporal variability of hydrological processes has a direct influence on agricultural and economic development.…”