Rain-based factors of high agricultural impacts over Senegal. Part I: integration of local to sub-regional trends and variability

The evolution of seasonal cycle and interannual rainfall, the number of rainy days and daily rainfall types, dry spells frequency of occurrence, onset/cessation/length of rainy season, sowing dates, and the duration of the cropping period, are investigated at local (individual sites) and sub-regional scales (four different rainfall zones) using daily records of station data (83 sites) over Senegal. In the limits of a case study, these analyses complement and update previous studies conducted in the extreme Western Sahel (11?C16° N and 20° W?C10° E). The results unveil noticeable evolution of some of these rain-based factors in the recent periods as compared to the previous dry years. In the regions recording less than 800?mm/year (Sudan and Sahel sub-regions), the positive and statistically significant trends of rainfall amount are associated with new features of increasing frequency of short dry spell category, increasing number of some classes of extreme daily rainfall amounts and shifts in the peak number of rainy days. At sub-regional scales, the starting years (or change points) the magnitude and the signs of the new trends are unevenly distributed in the period post-1990. Earlier and higher amplitude changes are found at local scales and not less than one third of the sites in each sub-regional network are significantly affected. The extreme Southern sub-region exhibits no significant changes. Statistically significant trends are not observed on daily rain records ??10?mm, onset/cessation dates, successful sowing dates, rainy season length, cropping period, medium and extreme dry spell categories. Rather, some of these factors such as the successful sowing date and the cropping season length exhibit significant variability. The onset (cessation) dates of the rainy season are followed (preceded) by extreme dry spell episodes. In the perspectives of climate impact assessments on the local agriculture a sub-regional periodic synopsis of the major rain-based factors of interest to agricultural applications are provided at the end the paper. They document some important internal variability patterns to reckon with in a multi-decadal work over the 1950?C2008 period for this region.     

Oceanic influence on the sub-seasonal to interannual timing and frequency of extreme dry spells over the West African Sahel

Intra-seasonal drought episodes (extreme dry spells) are strongly linked to crop yield loss in the West African Sahel, especially when they occur at crop critical stages such as juvenile or flowering stage. This paper seeks to expose potentially predictable features in the sub-seasonal to inter-annual occurrence of “extreme dry spells” (extDS) through their links to sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTAs). We consider two kinds of extreme dry spells: more than 2 weeks of consecutive dry days following a rain event (often found at the beginning of the rainy season, after the first rain events) and more than a week (observed towards the end of the rainy season, before the last rain events). We extract dry spells from daily rainfall data at 43 stations (31 stations in Senegal over 1950–2010 and 12 stations in Niger over 1960–2000) to identify the intra-seasonal distribution of extDS and their significant correlation with local rainfall deficits. Seasonality of distribution and high spatial coherence are found in the timing and the frequency of occurrence of extDS in different rainfall regions over Niger and Senegal. The correlation between the regional occurrence index (ROI), necessary to capture the spatial extent of extDS, and observed global sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTAs) sheds light on the influence of the external factors on the decadal, interannual and sub-seasonal variability of extDS over the West African Sahel. When the global tropics and the Atlantic are warmer than normal, more coherent and delayed June–July extDS are observed after onset of rainy season, as well as early cessation type in August–September. When the Indo-Pacific is cooler and the equatorial south Atlantic is warmer than normal little to no extDS are found in the onset sub-period of the monsoon season. Mostly late types of extDS occur in October as a result of late cessation. These results show potential predictability of extreme dry spells after onset and before cessation of monsoonal rain based on global patterns of sea surface temperature anomalies.     

On the duration of the rainy season over different parts of India

Summary Applying a new criterion, based on the average monthly precipitation, the start and the cessation dates of rains over different parts of India have been determined using data from 466 widely-spread stations. The duration of rains or the rainy season is found to vary from nil to the entire year in some parts of the country. Based on the duration of the rainy season and the amount of precipitation six precipitation zones have been demarcated in the country and the utility of this demarcation for practical purposes is discussed. The relationship between the annual precipitation variability and the duration of the rainy season is also discussed.

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Zusammenfassung Unter Verwendung eines neuen Kriteriums, das auf der mittleren Monatssumme beruht, wurden Beginn und Ende der Regenzeit mit Hilfe der Daten von 466 über dem Land verteilten Stationen für verschiedenen Teile Indiens bestimmt. Die Extreme lagen bei keiner bis zu einer ganzjährigen Regenzeit für einzelne Landesteile. Über Dauer und Niederschlagsmenge der Regenzeit wurden sechs Niederschlagszonen unterschieden. Die Brauchbarkeit dieser Einteilung für praktische Anwendungen sowie die Beziehung zwischen der Schwankung der Niederschlagsmenge und der Dauer der Regenzeit werden besprochen.

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With 8 Figures     

Seasonal and intra-seasonal rainfall and drought characteristics as indicators of climate change and variability in Southern Africa: a focus on Kabwe and Livingstone in Zambia

This paper addresses two fundamental questions on climate change and variability: to what extent has climate changed and/or varied over years in two districts of different agro-ecological regions or zones and how do any changes differ between the zones or districts? Given the rural-rural migration pattern observed between the districts, understanding climate change risk to rural livelihoods cannot be overemphasised. To assess change and variability, we utilise rainfall data-records over a 36-year period from 1980 to 2016. Results show that there are wide variations and differences within and between the districts. Evidence suggests a general reduction in both annual rainfall and wet days. There is also ground to suggest that the rainy season duration is becoming shorter, given that rainfall onset is increasingly starting late, while cessation is increasingly coming early. Dry spells frequency and duration trends within rainy season show an increase over the period examined. We conclude that local climate in both areas has changed over the period investigated. However, while Livingstone seems to have experienced more droughts and unreliable rainfall, Kabwe experienced a bigger change in both rainfall and rainy season duration. We further conclude that migrants into Kabwe and other inhabitants are not any safer from climate change risk.     

夏季南海季风槽与印度季风槽的气候特征之比较

亚洲夏季风槽包括两大重要组成部分,即南海夏季风槽和印度夏季风槽.两个季风槽同属于热带夏季风系统,具有热带辐合带的性质.但由于所处地理位置、海陆分布、受到的影响系统不同等原因,两个季风槽有明显的异同点.利用气候平均资料分析,揭示南海夏季风槽和印度季风槽的结构特征和演变特征的异同点,有利于提高对亚洲夏季风系统的认识.作者首先讨论了结构特征方面的差异,从季风槽的对流特征、环流场配置特征、热力结构特征等方面探讨了两个季风槽的区别,分析结果表明南海夏季风槽和印度夏季风槽在结构特征方面区别不算很大,都具有热带季风辐合带的典型结构,低层辐合,高层辐散,有明显的季风经圈环流,热力结构特征均是低层偏冷,中高层偏暖.相对来说,印度夏季风槽比南海夏季风槽强且深厚.其次对南海夏季风槽和印度夏季风槽的演变的气候特征所进行的分析表明,季风槽建立时间与季风爆发时间是一致的.南海夏季风槽爆发早且突然,撤退缓慢,维持时间长;印度夏季风槽则是渐进式的爆发,撤退迅速,维持时间较短.两个季风槽的温湿演变特征也有所不同.     

Climate change and implications for agriculture in Niger

Five-year moving averages of annual rainfall for 21 locations in Niger showed a decline in the annual rainfall after 1960. Correlation coefficients of the moving averages of monthly rainfall with annual rainfall showed significant correlations between the decline in the annual rainfall with decreased rainfall in August. Analysis of daily rainfall data for rainy season parameters of interest to agriculture suggested that from 1965 there was a significant decrease in the amount of rainfall and in the number of rainy days in the months of July and August, resulting in a decreased volume of rainfall for each rainstorm. In comparison to the period 1945–64, major shifts have occurred in the average dates of onset and ending of rains during 1965–88. The length of the growing season was reduced by 5–20 days across different locations in Niger. The standard deviation for the onset and ending of the rains as well as the length of the growing season has increased, implying that cropping has become more risky. Water balance calculations also demonstrated that the probability of rainfall exceeding potential evapotranspiration decreased during the growing season. The implications of these changes for agriculture in Niger are discussed using field data.     

Temporal rainfall variability in the Lake Victoria Basin in East Africa during the twentieth century

Water resources systems are designed and operated on assumption of stationary hydrology. Existence of trends and other changes in the data invalidates this assumption, and detection of the changes in hydrological time series should help us revise the approaches used in assessing, designing and operating our systems. In addition, trend and step change studies help us understand the impact of man’s activities (e.g. urbanisation, deforestation, dam construction, agricultural activities, etc.) on the hydrological cycle. Trends and step changes in the seasonal and annual total rainfall for 20 stations in the Lake Victoria basin were analysed. The seasonal rainfall for any station in a given year was defined in two ways: (1) fixed time period where the rainy seasons were taken as occurring from March–May (long rains) and from October–December (short rains); and (2) variable periods where the rainy seasons were taken as the three consecutive months with maximum total rainfall covering the period of January–June (long rains) and July–December (short rains), to take into account the fact that the onset of rainy seasons within the basin varies from year to year and from one station to the next. For each station, sub datasets were derived covering different periods (all available data at the station, 1941–1980, 1961–1990, 1971–end of each station’s time series). The trends were analysed using the Mann-Kendall method, while the step changes were analysed using the Worsley Likelihood method. The results show that positive trends predominate, with most stations showing trend being located in the northern part of the basin, though this pattern is not conclusive. In all, 17% of the cases have trends, of which 67% are positive. The 1960s represent a significant upward jump in the basin rainfall. Seasonal rainfall analysis shows that the short rains tend to have more trends than the long rains. The impact of the varying month of onset of the rainy season is that the results from analyzing the fixed-period and variable-period time series are rarely the same, meaning the two series have different characteristics. It may be argued that the variable-period time series are more reliable as a basis for analysing trends and step changes, since these time series reflect more closely the actual variability in rainy seasons from one year to the next. The fixed-period analysis would, on the other hand, find more practical use in planning.     

Determination of seasonal rainfall variability, onset and cessation in semi-arid Tharaka district, Kenya

The study quantified rainfall variability for March–May (MAM) and October–December (OND) seasons in Tharaka district, Kenya. The parameters analysed were inter-annual variability of seasonal rainfall, onset and cessation using daily rainfall data in three agro-ecological zones’ stations. Percentage mean cumulative method was used to determine onset and cessation, and seasonal variability was estimated using rainfall variability indices. Although both seasons are highly variable, OND has been persistently below mean over time while MAM shows high within-season variability. Despite the near uniformity in the mean onset and cessation dates, the former is highly variable on an inter-annual scale. The two rainfall seasons are inherently dissimilar and therefore require specific cropping in agro-ecological zone LM4 and LM4-5. It is possible that farmers in IL5 are missing an opportunity by under-utilising MAM rainfall. The results should be incorporated in implications of climate variability and vulnerability assessment in semi-arid Tharaka district.     

Fluctuations in the onset,termination and length of the growing season in northern Nigeria

Summary A simple water balance method is used to compute the dates of the onset and termination and length of the growing season from long-term rainfall series in northern Nigeria. For most of the stations, the time series of onset and termination dates and growing season length are homogeneous and random, and can be taken as normally distributed. There is a progressive decrease in the length of the growing season from a mean of about 200 days in the south to less than 155 days in the extreme northern part. While there is no statistically significant trend in the onset dates, there is some evidence for statistically significant decreasing trend in the termination dates and the length of the growing season over the region. The results indicate that recent trends in the length of the growing season are more sensitive.to large interannual fluctuations in the start of the rains than to variations in the cessation dates.With 7 Figures     

Variability of growing season indices in northeast of Iran

Accurate use of precipitation can be considered as one of the best options to decrease the amount of underground water extraction for agriculture in arid and semi-arid areas such as northeast of Iran. For this reason, characteristics of the growing season such as onset, cessation, and length of the growing period should be analyzed. In this paper, we have calculated growing season characteristics of five locations in northeast of Iran using 45?years historical daily weather data and employed four approaches with different calculation methods. As temperature is one of the limiting factors in irrigation-based agriculture, the first approach has been based on this factor. The three remaining approaches were based on joint rainfall and temperature approach, rainfall, evapotranspiration, and temperature approach, and the final approach was based on availability of adequate water in 0.25?m of soil profile. The calculated onset dates using second and third approaches have been based on soil water balance model and relative evapotranspiration rate, and both were evaluated also to find whether the onset is a false start occurrence or not. The results showed that, when temperature was the only limiting factor, Bojnourd station with 197?days showed the longest growing season, however, when precipitation was used along with temperature, longest growing season (124?days) was obtained for Sabzevar station. The third approach which benefits from a water balance model and is similar to rainfed conditions showed the longest growing season with 147?days for Mashhad station. When adequate soil water approach was used, Bojnourd station with 255?days showed the longest growing season. Evaluation of false start of the growing season indicated the lowest probability of false start occurrence for Mashhad compared with other locations.     

亚洲夏季风爆发前后西北太平洋和孟加拉湾热带气旋活动统计特征

亚洲夏季风爆发始于孟加拉湾,然后向中国南海和印度次大陆扩展,其过程约持续1个月。各地区夏季风爆发时间呈明显的年际变化。利用热带气旋资料和气象再分析资料,统计了1951-2010年孟加拉湾和中国南海夏季风爆发前后西北太平洋热带气旋、孟加拉湾气旋风暴活动和夏季风爆发的关系。结果表明,在孟加拉湾夏季风爆发过程中,共有36 a出现孟加拉湾气旋风暴,并且夏季风爆发偏早年出现风暴的几率最高,为80%。在孟加拉湾夏季风爆发偏早、正常和偏晚3种类型中,孟加拉湾风暴活动频率高峰期多出现在夏季风爆发前后几天内。并且在孟加拉湾风暴活动频率高峰出现前期,西北太平洋热带气旋最先出现活动频率高峰。孟加拉湾夏季风爆发前有40%-50%的年份西北太平洋出现热带气旋活动,其中,夏季风爆发偏早年,爆发前西北太平洋热带气旋活跃的时间偏早（4月第2候）,且多活动在中国南海和菲律宾附近;爆发正常年,西北太平洋热带气旋活跃的时间为4月第4候,多活动在略偏东的海域;爆发偏晚年,西北太平洋热带气旋活跃的时间为5月初,活动区域最偏东。中国南海夏季风爆发过程中,60 a中共有29 a西北太平出现热带气旋,其中爆发偏早和正常年出现热带气旋的频率较高,并且热带气旋多出现在爆发当日和爆发后一段时间。整体来看,亚洲夏季风爆发前,西北太平洋热带气旋活动频率最先开始增强,然后孟加拉湾风暴开始活跃并伴随着孟加拉湾夏季风爆发,夏季风爆发偏早和正常年,孟加拉湾夏季风爆发后,西北太平洋热带气旋再次增强,中国南海夏季风爆发。      

关于梅雨问题的几点看法

本文在综述以往研究的基础上,分析并研究新近的气象资料,对发生梅雨地区、时段的确定及梅雨期前后各旬雨量之间的关系提出一些看法。     

Localized versus wide-ranging effects of the post-Soviet wars in the Caucasus on agricultural abandonment

Wars are frequent and can affect land use substantially, but the effects of wars can vary greatly depending on their characteristics, such as intensity or duration. Furthermore, the spatial scale of the effects can differ. The effects of wars may be localized and thus close to conflict locations if direct mechanisms matter most (e.g., abandonment because active fighting precludes farming), or wide-ranging, e.g., farther away from conflict locations, if indirect mechanisms predominate (e.g., no access to agricultural inputs). Our goal was to quantify how the very different wars in the Caucasus region during post-Soviet times most likely affected agricultural abandonment at different scales. We analyzed data on conflict locations plus Landsat-derived land-cover data from 1987 to 2015, and applied matching statistics, difference-in-differences estimators, and logistic panel regressions. We examined the localized versus wide-ranging effects of the different wars on permanent agricultural abandonment and inferred to direct and indirect mechanisms that may have resulted in agricultural abandonment. While permanent agricultural abandonment was overall surprisingly limited across the Caucasus, up to one third of abandonment was most likely related to the wars. Among the wars, the war in Chechnya was by far the most intense and longest, but its effect on abandonment was similar to the less intense and relatively short war in Abkhazia. 47 % and 45 % of agricultural abandonment was related to each war, respectively. The reason was that the effect of the war in Chechnya was more localized, and abandonment occurred near conflict locations, in contrast to Abkhazia, where the effect was wide-ranging and abandonment occurred farther away from conflict locations. In contrast, the war in South Ossetia showed no significant effect on abandonment, and the war in Nagorno-Karabakh had the surprising pattern that abandonment was higher where no war had occurred. For each of the wars, abandonment was predominately related to the nearest conflict locations, but in Abkhazia additional conflict locations within 10 km further increased the probability of abandonment. We infer that the direct mechanisms of the war such as bombing, and active fighting most likely resulted in a localized effect close to conflict locations in Chechnya and in Nagorno-Karabakh. However, in Nagorno-Karabakh subsidies for new settlers after the war, (i.e., a positive wide-ranging effect), potentially reduced the amount of abandonment there. In contrast, negative wide-ranging effects such as refugee movements and post-war restrictions on their return is related to broad-scale abandonment in Abkhazia. In summary, permanent agricultural abandonment was not necessarily higher in a war with a high overall intensity. Instead, the effect of a given war varied in scale, and was related to the relative importance of direct and localized versus indirect and wide-ranging mechanisms, including postwar events and policies, which is likely the case for other wars, too.     

1998年夏季长江上游暴雨过程的水汽输送特征

应用ECMWF再分析资料,分析了1998年夏季长江上游9次暴雨过程的水汽输送特征.结果表明:长江上游暴雨的水汽主要来源于孟加拉湾、南海和西太平洋,也存在由阿拉伯海北部经印度半岛北部再经青藏高原东南部进入长江上游的水汽路径;不同暴雨过程其水汽来源差别较大;长江上游的复杂地形和水汽输送形式的共同作用是决定长江上游暴雨发生的一个重要因素;当西太平洋副热带高压偏南、偏西、偏强,印度季风低压偏弱时,有利于长江上游暴雨的水汽输送;长江上游水汽输送的特征决定了其暴雨过程发生发展的复杂性.     

长江上游暴雨的边界层动力诊断研究

本文应用诊断分析方法研究了大气边界层动力特征与长江上游暴雨天气的关系。结果表明:大气边界层对暴雨天气有重要影响，成都边界层风场分量u，v＜０时，对应暴雨天气，u，v＞０时，无降水天气；边界层内正涡度、辐合、上升运动的出现、增强、减弱与暴雨的发生、发展、结束相联系；与青藏高原东部边缘东北－西南走向地势相关的边界层动力激发作用是长江上游暴雨产生的一种物理机制。     

Effects of the southern oscillation on the probability for climatic categories of monthly rainfall, in a semi-arid region in the southern mid-latitudes

In many regions of the world, planning agricultural and water management activities is usually done based on probabilities for monthly rainfall, taking on values on specified intervals of values. These intervals of monthly rainfall amounts are commonly grouped into three categories: drought, normal rainfall, and abundant rainfall. Changes in the probabilities for occurrence of monthly rainfall amounts within these climatic rainfall categories will influence the decisions farmers and water managers will take (for example, crops to cultivate, flood preparedness, and operations of water reservoirs). This research explores the changes produced by the SO (Southern Oscillation) on the probability that the areal average of monthly rainfall (AAvMR) takes on values belonging to specified climatic rainfall categories. The semi-arid region under study is a major agricultural region in central Argentina; weather effects on agriculture in this region influence the world market of several crops. The evolution of the Southern Oscillation was divided into three phases: LSOI (low Southern Oscillation index phase, that includes ENSO events), NSOI (neutral SOI phase), and HSOI (high SOI phase that includes La Niña–SO events). The following are the criteria defining the three phases of the SO: (1) low SOI (ENSO), where the five-month moving average of the SO index, SOI, is less than −0.5 standard deviation during at least five consecutive months, and is equal to or less than −1 standard deviation during at least one month; (2) high SOI (La Niña–SO), where the SOI is greater than 0.5 standard deviation during at least five consecutive months, and is equal to or greater than 1 standard deviation during at least one month; and (3) neutral SOI (transition between extremes), where the SOI does not correspond to low SOI nor to high SOI. It was found that the Southern Oscillation influences the probability distribution of monthly rainfall only in four months of the year. Findings show that monthly rainfall has a complex response to the evolution of the SO. The response is not restricted to higher probability for occurrence of abundant rainfall or drought categories during low SOI (ENSO) or high SOI (La Niña–SO) episodes, respectively. The LSOI (ENSO) phase influences the AAvMR in several ways: depending on the month, it increases or decreases the probability of the abundant rainfall category. LSOI (ENSO) also increases or decreases, depending on the month, the probability of the normal rainfall category. It also decreases the probability that AAvMR takes on values in the drought category. A similar kind of complex response of monthly rainfall amounts occurs when the active phase is the HSOI (La Niña–SO). The responses are: (1) the probability of the category `drought' increases only in three months of the year, (2) increase or decrease of the probability of the normal rainfall category, depending on the month, and (3) decrease of the probability of the abundant rainfall category. Finally, the effects of NSOI (neutral phase of the SO) are not negligible. Depending on the month, NSOI episodes increase or decrease the probability of drought, or abundant rainfall, or normal rainfall categories.     

第一次全球大气研究计划试验期间华南 前汛期暴雨过程及其环流特征的诊断研究

对1979年第一次全球大气研究计划试验(FGGE)期间华南前汛期3次暴雨过程及其环流特征进行了诊断研究。发现：（1）3次暴雨过程均与锋面活动有关,每次锋面过程都与锋生区对应,暴雨多见于锋前暖区内。锋面的特征既不同于冬季的冷锋,又不同于夏季长江流域的梅雨锋。（2）对视热源和视水汽汇作了计算,发现3次暴雨过程中,华南地区的视热源和视水汽汇项有明显作用,积云对流所造成的对流凝结加热作用很重要。（3）华南前汛期暴雨与南海季风有密切关系。1979年FGGE期间南海季风3次向北推进,与3次暴雨过程有直接的联系。（4）对这3次降水过程的水汽来源作了分析,发现除孟加拉湾外,南中国海亦是重要的水汽供应源地。（5）对云系的分析表明,华南上空的β中尺度对流云团为暴雨的发生提供了有利条件。     

登陆热带气旋降水增幅的合成诊断分析

利用NCEP/NCAR再分析资料,采用动态合成分析方法,对登陆后降水增幅类和非增幅类热带气旋的大尺度环流特征做了合成分析和动力诊断.结果表明:增幅类热带气旋处于强经向型环流之中,中高纬度为阻塞形势,高层有急流入口区南侧的强辐散,并与西风槽相互叠加;低层有急流和水汽通道的长时间联结;热带气旋东侧还有次级环流相伴.非增幅类热带气旋环流背景相对平直,高空辐散弱,无西风槽叠加;低空急流减弱迅速,且水汽通道较早出现断裂;无次级环流出现.增幅类热带气旋高层存在显著非地转运动,高层南风急流入口区的强次地转运动和降水增幅紧密相关.     

南海季风爆发前罕见连续3场暴雨特征及成因

2010年5月上中旬南海季风尚未爆发,广东一周内出现罕见的连续3场区域性暴雨 (下称连场暴雨)。利用常规气象观测资料和NCEP分析资料,从降水时间特征和环流形势对比了连场暴雨和持续性暴雨的异同,并应用局地经向环流数值模式诊断探讨其可能形成机制。结果表明:中高纬度地区阻塞形势建立对广东5月连场暴雨和6月持续性暴雨发生均尤为关键,连场暴雨期间阻塞高压位于乌拉尔山附近,降水与中纬度短波槽南下密切相关;而持续性暴雨期间阻塞高压偏东位于亚洲大陆中部,降水主要受热带西南季风北推影响。尽管大尺度环流背景相似,但3场暴雨过程天气系统配置差异较大。数值诊断结果进一步表明:激发连续3场暴雨的主要物理因子为潜热加热、温度平流和西风动量输送。潜热加热是此次连场暴雨的正贡献和正反馈的最直接因子,而西风动量输送和温度平流对暴雨发生有一定触发作用和指示意义 (超前0~1.5 d)。因此,分析和预报季风爆发前的连场暴雨过程,应注意中高纬度地区西风动量输送、冷暖平流活动和相应的天气形势演变。