Statistical distributions of extreme dry spell in Peninsular Malaysia

Statistical distributions of annual extreme (AE) series and partial duration (PD) series for dry-spell event are analyzed for a database of daily rainfall records of 50 rain-gauge stations in Peninsular Malaysia, with recording period extending from 1975 to 2004. The three-parameter generalized extreme value (GEV) and generalized Pareto (GP) distributions are considered to model both series. In both cases, the parameters of these two distributions are fitted by means of the L-moments method, which provides a robust estimation of them. The goodness-of-fit (GOF) between empirical data and theoretical distributions are then evaluated by means of the L-moment ratio diagram and several goodness-of-fit tests for each of the 50 stations. It is found that for the majority of stations, the AE and PD series are well fitted by the GEV and GP models, respectively. Based on the models that have been identified, we can reasonably predict the risks associated with extreme dry spells for various return periods.     

Recent changes in dry spell and extreme rainfall events in Ethiopia

Summary This paper assesses recent changes in extremes of seasonal rainfall in Ethiopia based on daily rainfall data for 11 key stations over the period 1965–2002. The seasons considered are Kiremt (‘main rains’, June–September) and Belg (‘small rains’, February/March–May). The Mann-Kendall and linear regression trend tests show decreasing trends in the Kiremt and the Belg extreme intensity and maximum consecutive 5-day rains over eastern, southwestern and southern parts of Ethiopia whereas no trends are found in the remaining part of Ethiopia. In general, no trends are found in the yearly maximum length of Kiremt and Belg dry spells (days with rainfall below 1 mm) over Ethiopia.     

Dynamics of energy sector and GHG emissions in Saudi Arabia

The energy sector is the main contributor to GHG emissions in Saudi Arabia. The tremendous growth of GHG emissions poses serious challenges for the Kingdom in terms of their reduction targets, and also the mitigation of the associated climate changes. The rising trend of population and urbanization affects the energy demand, which results in a faster rate of increase in GHG emissions. The major energy sector sources that contribute to GHG emissions include the electricity generation, road transport, desalination plants, petroleum refining, petrochemical, cement, iron and steel, and fertilizer industries. In recent years, the energy sector has become the major source, accounting for more than 90% of national CO₂ emissions. Although a substantial amount of research has been conducted on renewable energy resources, a sustainable shift from petroleum resources is yet to be achieved. Public awareness, access to energy-efficient technology, and the development and implementation of a legislative framework, energy pricing policies, and renewable and alternative energy policies are not mature enough to ensure a significant reduction in GHG emissions from the energy sector. An innovative and integrated solution that best serves the Kingdom's long-term needs and exploits potential indigenous, renewable, and alternative energy resources while maintaining its sustainable development stride is essential.

Policy relevance

The main contributor to GHG emissions in Saudi Arabia is the energy sector that accounts for more than 90% of the national CO₂ emissions. Tremendous growth of GHG emissions poses serious challenges for the Kingdom in their reduction and mitigating the associated climate changes. This study examines the changing patterns of different activities associated with energy sector, the pertinent challenges, and the opportunities that promise reduction of GHG emissions while providing national energy and economic security. The importance of achieving timely, sustained, and increasing reductions in GHG emissions means that a combination of policies may be needed. This study points to the long-term importance of making near- and medium-term policy choices on a well-informed, strategic basis. This analytical paper is expected to provide useful information to the national policy makers and other decision makers. It may also contribute to the GHG emission inventories and the climate change negotiations.     

Urbanization effects on the air temperature rise in Saudi Arabia

We study the possible effects of urbanization on the rise of air temperature in Saudi Arabia for the period 1981–2010. The effects of variations in elevation and marine temperature on the air temperature trend are also investigated. Surface air temperature data are analyzed for 24 sites which are mostly located at the airports across the country. The population data for the current (2010) and earlier (2004 and 1992) censuses are used for the nearest cities where the observation sites are located. A national average is calculated using two different approaches (simple averaging and weighted according to area for 1985–2010 when all stations are available) which gives trends of 0.60 and 0.51 °C/decade respectively, both significant at the 99 % level. We find no link between the temperature increase and population increase nor with elevation at the 24 sites which are mostly located in the urban effected area but not at the city centers. This suggests that the rise in air temperature is not likely due to urbanization changes resulting from the population increases.     

沙特阿拉伯地下水资源过度利用的后果及对策

沙特阿拉伯位于阿拉伯半岛，总面积224万km^2，降水量很少且没有湖泊、河流，因此水资源十分匮乏，80％～85％的水资源为地下水。由于地表水资源的日益缺乏以及对水资源需求的逐年增加，沙特加大了对地下水的利用，约75％～85％的工农业及生活用水来自地下水，每年抽取的地下水远远超过其自然补给量，由于过度开采引发了一些严重的问题，如深层水的耗竭和地下水水质恶化。本文讨论地下水耗竭而产生的经济影响，并提出保护地下水资源的对策。     

Spatio-temporal variation and statistical characteristic of extreme dry spell in Yellow River Basin, China

Drought is one of the most detrimental natural hazards in Yellow River Basin (YRB). In this research, spatio-temporal variation and statistical characteristic of drought in YRB is studied by using dry spell. Two extreme series, including annual maximum series (AMS) and partial duration series (PDS), are used and simulated with generalized extreme value (GEV), generalized Pareto (GP), and Pearson type III (PE3) distributions. The results show that the northern part is drier than the southern part of YRB. Besides, the maximum dry spell usually starts in October, November, and December. According to the trend analysis, mean maximum length of dry spell (MxDS) shows a negative trend in most stations. From the L-moments and Kolmogorov–Smirnov test method, it can be found that GEV model can better fit AMS while GP and PE3 can better fit PDS. Moreover, the quantiles from optimal model of AMS and PDS depict a similar distribution with values increases from south to north. The spatial distribution of scale and location parameters of GEV model for AMS shows a south-to-north gradient, while the distribution of shape parameter is a little irregularity. Furthermore, based on the linear correlation analysis, there is an evident linear relation between location and scale parameters with mean and standard variation of MxDS, respectively.     

Cloud modification in Saudi Arabia: Statistical estimation of the results

The results of experiments to enhance precipitation in Saudi Arabia by Weather Modification Inc. (USA) are presented. Statistical analysis of radar measurements indicates that there are significant changes in cloud characteristics and an increase in precipitation due to seeding.     

面雨量计算方法及其在海河流域的应用

基于1961—2018年汉江流域57个国家气象站日降水观测资料,利用线性倾向估计、滑动平均等方法研究了汉江流域5个子流域极端面雨量时空分布特征,并对年最大极端面雨量（P_max）的重现期进行了拟合,结果表明：（1）汉江流域的年极端面雨量日数（D）与年极端5 d累积面雨量日数（D_5d）年均分布从上游向下游逐渐减少,年极端面雨量（R）与年极端5 d累积面雨量强度（I_5d）表现为两头多、中间少。（2）D和R年均分布在石泉以上、石泉安康和丹皇区间表现出一定的正相关,在安康丹江口和皇庄以下子流域表现出一定的反相关。（3）D、R、D_5d、I_5d等年代际分布特征较为相似,石泉以上、石泉安康、安康丹江口3个子流域呈双峰分布,皇庄以下子流域呈单峰分布,丹皇区间年代际特征不明显。（4）汉江各子流域D、R、D_5d、I_5d与年最大极端面雨量（P_max）等指数峰（谷）值出现的时间重叠性较高,表明同一子流域强降水发生频次较高（低）的年份,降水的持续性和极端性均相对较高（低）,但同一年所有子流域出现持续性极端降水事件的概率不大。（5）汉江流域P_max呈逐年增大趋势。重现期在50 a以前P_max增速较快,之后增速变缓。皇庄以下子流域不同重现期内P_max及其增幅最强。

     

2021年\

2021年,我国天气形势复杂,气候异常性显著,极端事件频发。本文简要回顾了我国主汛期和华西秋雨的异常性特征,并对河南和湖北4次高影响天气过程展开了初步分析。结果表明：(1)2021年4—10月全国平均降水较常年同期偏多7.8%,其中河南、河北和山西等部分地区偏多1倍以上。(2) 在外强迫因子“拉尼娜”异常海温的影响下,副热带高压外围水汽和北方冷空气异常活跃,导致华西秋雨降水量打破1961年以来历史记录。(3) 河南“21.7”特大暴雨发生在台风、低涡、切变线和辐合线共同作用的背景下,大量来自西北太平洋的水汽,在低空急流与边界层急流耦合、地形的动力阻挡抬升和热力抬升共同作用下,强降水雨带出现在山前。(4) 在有利的多尺度环流背景下,地形与低层风场辐合带的相互作用触发了对流,并使得降水维持在狭长山谷地形区域内,引发随州“8.12”极端强降水。(5)中γ尺度的强对流单体的合并加强导致了武汉两次对流大风事件,中层突然增强的水平风引发了下沉运动,下落后造成地面局地强冷池和地面极值大风。

     

Spatio-temporal variability of dry and wet periods in eastern China

Summary An analysis, based on rain gauge observations, of the time-space variability of dry and wet periods during the last fifty years in eastern China is presented. The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) is used to assess the climatic conditions of the area, and principal component analysis (PCA) is applied to capture the pattern of co-variability of the index at different stations. Results suggest that the northern part of eastern China is experiencing dry conditions more frequently from the 1970s onwards indicated by a negative trend in the SPI time series. Long-term fluctuations characterize the SPI signal and contribute to the power spectrum variance at periods ranging from interdecadal to interannual time scales, that is respectively, 24 years and from 16 to 4–3.7 years. These periodic components provide a useful resource for long-term predictability of dry and wet periods in eastern China.     

Extreme value analysis of wet and dry periods in Sicily

Summary For assessing risk of highly unusual events extreme value statistics needs to be applied, which plays an important role in engineering practices for water resources design and management. In hydrology, the typical application of extreme value theory concerns floods in river basins or landslides. The present paper is, instead, focused on the analysis of extreme wet and dry periods in a sample area (Sicily). First, we have studied monthly precipitation extremes both using the annual maximum and partial duration methods, and return times have been estimated by standard statistical techniques. Next, we studied the extremes of the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), which has been proposed as an indicator for monitoring wet and dry conditions. We found considerable differences both in the return periods and in the time location of the extremes. From our study it appears that the SPI better describes wet and dry periods than the precipitation does. Maps of return times for extreme conditions in Sicily are also presented, which cluster the territory into areas of different extreme return periods. Finally, the occurrence of extremes in Sicily has been related to large-scale atmospheric circulation.     

Dry spell,onset and cessation of the wet season rainfall in the Upper Baro-Akobo Basin,Ethiopia

In this study, maximum dry spell length and number of dry spell periods of rainy seasons in the upper Baro-Akobo River basin which is a part of the Nile basin, Western Ethiopia, were investigated to analyse the drought trend. Daily rainfall records of the period 1972–2000 from eight rain gauge stations were used in the analysis, and Mann-Kendall test was used to test trends for significance. Furthermore, the beginning and end of the trend development in the dry spell were also tested using the sequential version of Mann-Kendall test. Results have shown that there is neither clear monotonic trend found in dry spell for the basin nor significant fluctuation in the onset, cession and duration of rainfall in the Baro-Akobo river basin. This sufficiently explains why rain-fed agriculture has suffered little in the western part of Ethiopia. The predictable nature of dry spell pattern may have allowed farmers to adjust to rainfall variability in the basin. Unlike many parts of Ethiopia, the Baro-Akobo basin climate variability is not a limiting factor for rain-fed agriculture productivity which may contribute significantly to national food security.     

Seasonal variability of the observed and the projected daily temperatures in northern Saudi Arabia

Variability in the observed daily temperature for the 31-year period (1978–2008) is studied for northern Saudi Arabia (nSA) by computing the probability distribution functions (PDFs) on a seasonal basis. The 31-year base period is divided into three decades and the results for the first (1978–1987) and the last decade (1999–2008) are presented. When averaged over all seasons, mean values of the observed decadal PDFs depict a positive shift from the first to last decade in the minimum, mean, and maximum temperature of 0.81 °C, 1.03 °C, and 1.25 °C, respectively. The daily temperature datasets from a regional climate model (RCM) and two versions of a coupled atmosphere-ocean general circulation model (AOGCM) are compared with the observed daily temperature datasets. The RCM is driven by re-analysis data for the historical period and by the HadCM3 model for the future, while the AOGCMs used are the GFDL CM2.0 and 2.1 models, with both HadCM3 and the GFDL simulations corresponding to the SRES A1B scenario. The average shifts from 1978–1987 to 1999–2008 in the mean value of the PDFs for the minimum, mean and maximum temperature are 0.63 °C, 0.54 °C and 0.45 °C, respectively, for the RCM, and 0.97 °C, 0.97 °C and 0.96 °C, respectively, for the AOGCM. Thus, the RCM shows a smaller shift in the mean of PDF for maximum temperature than for mean or minimum temperature, the AOGCM shows a comparable shift for all three, and the observations show a greater shift in the PDF for maximum temperature. For the period 2070–2099 relative to 1978–2008, the three average shifts are 4.11 °C, 3.87 °C and 3.44 °C for the RCM and 3.63 °C, 3.74 °C and 3.84 °C for the AOGCM.     

Modelling surface energy fluxes and temperatures in dry and wet bare soils

Abstract

A physically‐based numerical model was developed to estimate the temporal course of the surface energy flux densities and the soil temperatures in dry and wet bare soils. Aerodynamic heat, vapour and momentum transfer theory was used to calculate the sensible and latent heat flux densities at the surface under diabatic and adiabatic conditions. A finite‐difference solution of the differential equation describing one‐dimensional heat transfer was used to calculate the surface soil heat flux density and soil profile temperatures. The surface temperature was determined iteratively by the simultaneous solution of equations describing radiative, heat and momentum transfer at the surface. The model was tested with measurements from energy balance studies conducted on a dry, sandy soil and a wet, silt loam soil, and was found to predict accurately the surface energy fluxes and soil temperatures over three‐day periods under conditions of potential and negligible evaporation. The sensitivity of the model to uncertainties in the aerodynamic roughness lengths for momentum (z₀) and heat (z_T) is reported. Values for z₀ and Z₀/Z_T of 0.5 mm and 3.0, respectively, resulted in the best agreement between modelled and measured values of the fluxes and temperatures for both soils.