Power-law Relationship in Describing Temporal and Spatial Precipitation Pattern in Turkey

Summary Wet and dry spell properties of monthly rainfall series at five meteorology stations in Turkey are examined by plotting successive wet and dry month duration versus their number of occurrences on the double-logarithmic paper. Straight line relationships on such graphs show that power-laws govern the pattern of successive persistent wet and dry monthly spells. Functional power law relationships between the number of dry and wet spells for a given monthly period are derived from the available monthly precipitation data. The probability statements for wet and dry period spells are obtained from the power law expressions. Comparison of power-law behaviours at five distinct sites in Turkey provides useful interpretation about the temporal and spatial rainfall pattern. As in temperate areas such as Turkey the rainfall amounts change mostly due to one-month-long dry or wet spells. Received August 29, 1995 Revised November 9, 1995