Precipitation responses to ENSO and IOD in the Maldives: Implications of large-scale modes of climate variability in weather-related preparedness

Abstract

This research seeks to address the extent to which indices of large-scale modes of climate variability (El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD)) can be linked to physical differences in the local mean and extreme rainfall conditions experienced in the Maldives in order to suggest implications for disaster risk reduction (DRR). While some significant differences in precipitation metrics do occur at the local level between different phases of the large-scale modes of climate variability studied, they do not occur for all sites studied. While the constrained availability of historical meteorological data in the region is a limiting factor in this analysis, these findings suggest that with respect to decision-making related to extreme precipitation, ENSO/IOD forecasting may be most helpful on local scales, when supplementing an approach of on-going readiness in which communities are prepared to effectively manage hazards in any phase of the large-scale modes of climate variability studied. These conclusions are based on only precipitation; results may vary for other impacts including changing sea levels and sea surface temperatures.

Precipitation barycenter and relationship to the spatial distribution of station networks on the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, China

“…In recent years, the center-of-gravity model has been widely used in hydro-climate, ecological environment, economic, and social fields, including precipitation barycenter, pollution centers of gravity, and population centers of gravity (Gao & Liu 2006;Barmpas et al 2017;Chen et al 2017). To analyze the difference and balance of macro-precipitation on the '3H' Plain, the center-of-gravity model is introduced to analyze the accumulation, migration, and dominant distribution of precipitation.…”