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Rainfall Characterization and Trend Analysis of Wet Spell Length across Varied Landscapes of the Upper Awash River Basin, Ethiopia

Author

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  • Girma Berhe Adane

    (School of Water Resource and Environmental Engineering, Haramaya Institute of Technology, Haramaya University, Dire Dawa 138, Ethiopia)

  • Birtukan Abebe Hirpa

    (School of Water Resource and Environmental Engineering, Haramaya Institute of Technology, Haramaya University, Dire Dawa 138, Ethiopia)

  • Cholho Song

    (OJEong Resilience Institute (OJERI), Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea)

  • Woo-Kyun Lee

    (OJEong Resilience Institute (OJERI), Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea
    Division of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea)

Abstract

Understanding the timing and variability of rainfall is crucial for the effective management of water resources in river basins dominated by rainfed agricultural practices. Our study aimed to characterize rainfall and analyze the trends in the length of wet spells (LWS) in the Upper Awash River Basin—one of the most water-stressed river basins in Ethiopia. We applied statistical descriptors and a Mann–Kendall (MK) test to determine the onset, end, and LWS for the small ( Belg ) and main ( Kiremt ) rainy seasons across different landscapes of the basin. We observed highly stable rainfall onsets in all stations during both seasons. However, unlike the Kiremt season, the LWS in the Belg season was too short and unreliable for rainfed agriculture. Based on the MK test, an increasing monotonic trend in LWS during the Kiremt season was detected only in the mountainous landscape of the basin. In contrast, we observed no trends in the remaining stations in the Upper Valley region of the basin, despite the linear regressions inferring an upward or downward pattern. Our findings provide accurate climatological information for the effective development of rainwater management strategies in the Upper Awash River Basin.

Suggested Citation

  • Girma Berhe Adane & Birtukan Abebe Hirpa & Cholho Song & Woo-Kyun Lee, 2020. "Rainfall Characterization and Trend Analysis of Wet Spell Length across Varied Landscapes of the Upper Awash River Basin, Ethiopia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-14, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:21:p:9221-:d:440702
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Desalegn Edossa & Mukand Babel & Ashim Das Gupta, 2010. "Drought Analysis in the Awash River Basin, Ethiopia," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 24(7), pages 1441-1460, May.
    2. Mojtaba Shadmani & Safar Marofi & Majid Roknian, 2012. "Trend Analysis in Reference Evapotranspiration Using Mann-Kendall and Spearman’s Rho Tests in Arid Regions of Iran," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 26(1), pages 211-224, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Husen Maru & Amare Haileslassie & Tesfaye Zeleke & Befikadu Esayas, 2021. "Analysis of Smallholders’ Livelihood Vulnerability to Drought across Agroecology and Farm Typology in the Upper Awash Sub-Basin, Ethiopia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-28, August.
    2. Vishwambhar Prasad Sat, 2024. "Rainfall Variability And Change, And Its Impact In The Western Himalaya," Earth Sciences Malaysia (ESMY), Zibeline International Publishing, vol. 8(1), pages 70-78, June.

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