Drought assessment in a south Mediterranean transboundary catchment

Gader, Khouloud;Gara, Ahlem;Vanclooster, Marnik;Khlifi, Slaheddine;Slimani, Mohamed
(2020) Hydrological Sciences Journal — p. 1-16 (2020)

Files

Vanclooster_Gader_HSJ1747621FinalProofs1.pdf
  • Open Access
  • Adobe PDF
  • 3.05 MB
Download

Details

Authors
  • Gader, Khouloudorcid-logoNational Agronomic Institute of Tunisia (INAT) & Laboratory of Research, Sciences, and Technologies of the Waters, University of Carthage, Tunis, Tunisia
    Author
  • Gara, AhlemHigh School of Engineering of Medjez El Bab (ESIM), Tunisia & Unité De Recherche En Gestion Durable Des Ressources En Eau Et En Sol (GDRES), University of Jendouba, Tunisia
    Author
  • Vanclooster, Marnikorcid-logoUCLouvain
    Author
  • Khlifi, SlaheddineHigh School of Engineering of Medjez El Bab (ESIM), Tunisia & Unité De Recherche En Gestion Durable Des Ressources En Eau Et En Sol (GDRES), University of Jendouba, Tunisia
    Author
  • Slimani, MohamedNational Agronomic Institute of Tunisia (INAT) & Laboratory of Research, Sciences, and Technologies of the Waters, University of Carthage, Tunis, Tunisia
    Author
Abstract
Predicting the impacts of climate change on water resources remains a challenging task and requires a good understanding of the dynamics of the forcing terms in the past. In this study, the variability of precipitation and drought patterns is studied over the Mediterranean catchment of the Medjerda in Tunisia based on an observed rainfall dataset collected at 41 raingauges during the period 1973–2012. The standardized precipitation index and the aridity index were used to characterize drought variability. Multivariate and geostatistical techniques were further employed to identify the spatial variability of annual rainfall. The results show that the Medjerda is marked by a significant spatio-temporal variability of drought, with varying extreme wet and dry events. Four regions with distinct rainfall regimes are identified by utilizing the K-means cluster analysi. A principal component analysis identifies the variables that are responsible for the relationships between precipitation and drought variability.
Affiliations

Citations

  • APA
  • Chicago
  • FWB

Gader, K., Gara, A., Vanclooster, M., Khlifi, S., & Slimani, M. (2020). Drought assessment in a south Mediterranean transboundary catchment. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1080/02626667.2020.1747621 (Original work published 2020)