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Analysis of Droughts in the Central Region of South Africa and Their Association with SST Anomalies

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dc.contributor.author Edossa, Desalegn C.
dc.contributor.author Woyessa, Yali E.
dc.contributor.author Welderufael, Worku A.
dc.contributor.other Hindawi Publishing Corporation: International Journal of Atmospheric Sciences
dc.date.accessioned 2016-03-01T06:18:36Z
dc.date.available 2016-03-01T06:18:36Z
dc.date.issued 2014
dc.date.issued 2014
dc.identifier.issn 2314-4122
dc.identifier.issn 2314-4130
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/11462/746
dc.description Published Article en_US
dc.description.abstract The objective of this study was to characterise meteorological droughts in the Central Region of South Africa using Standardised Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) and to examine if there is a relationship between drought and El Ni˜no events.The SPEI was used to quantify the precipitation deficit over time and space across the catchment for the time-scales that are important for planning and management of water resources. Based on 12-month time-scale, the total number of drought events identified in the area using SPEI ranged between 13 and 20 during the period of analysis (1952–1999). Considering the effects of event magnitude and duration as severity parameters, the most severe drought event was identified during 1973 followed by 1995 based on 12- month time-scale. Moreover, it was also found that the number of moderate, severe, and extreme drought events identified by SPEI follows increasing trend with decade during the period of analysis. Results of Spearman’s rank correlation test revealed that the trends exhibited by mild (SPEI-3 and SPEI-6), moderate (SPEI-12), severe (SPEI-12), and extreme (SPEI-3) drought categories are statistically significant at 5% significance level. The study also revealed that drought events in the central region of South Africa are preceded by El Ni˜no events in the tropical Pacific (Nino 3.4) with an average lag time of 8months between the onsets of the two events. It was found that hydrological drought events in the study area lag behind meteorological drought events with an average lag time of 7.4months. Findings of this study can be used to forecast drought events in the area for the proper planning and management of water resources. en_US
dc.format.extent 2 133 414 bytes, 1 file
dc.format.mimetype Application/PDF
dc.language.iso en_US en_US
dc.publisher Hindawi Publishing Corporation: International Journal of Atmospheric Sciences
dc.relation.ispartofseries International Journal of Atmospheric Sciences;Volume 2014
dc.title Analysis of Droughts in the Central Region of South Africa and Their Association with SST Anomalies en_US
dc.type Article en_US
dc.rights.holder International Journal of Atmospheric Sciences


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