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Modeling the Spatio-Temporal Meteorological Drought Characteristics Using the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) in Raya and Its Environs, Northern Ethiopia

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Abstract

In Ethiopia, recurrent droughts were associated with El Niño phenomenon, particularly in the study area where the majority of smallholder farmers depend on rain-fed agriculture. The aim of this study was to model the spatio-temporal meteorological drought onset, offset, duration, magnitude, intensity, frequency, severity and spatial extent in Raya and its environs, Northern Ethiopia. Both the ground meteorological stations and TAMSAT (tropical applications of meteorology using satellite and ground-based observations) monthly rainfall data were gathered from the National Meteorological Agency of Ethiopia for the period 1983–2015. The Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW), a type of the deterministic interpolation method was applied to quantify the amount of seasonal rainfall by producing surface rainfall map. A Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) at 3-month timescale was used to evaluate seasonal rainfall deficit and characterize meteorological drought. The results revealed that all sites obtained minimal and irregular rainfall, hence led to catastrophic droughts. Also, the findings showed that there was high rainfall variability across the study area that ranged from 28.14 to 42.32%. As a result, mild-to-severe meteorological drought phenomena were observed once in every 2–3 years. This incidence was found to be high in terms of spatial and temporal coverage during the last three decades. Therefore, this study may help to offer better insight for policymakers to establish drought mitigation and adaptation strategies.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful for the research fund provided by Mekelle University and the OSF–ACCAI project of Mekelle University, Ethiopia. The main author is thankful for the PhD scholarship given by the TreccAfrica II project. The authors would also like to acknowledge the National Meteorological Agency of Ethiopia (NMA) for providing the climatic data. We would also like to thank the constructive feedback of the two anonymous reviewers and the editor.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Science, University of Botswana, Private Bag UB 0704, Gaborone, Botswana

    Eskinder Gidey, Oagile Dikinya, Reuben Sebego & Eagilwe Segosebe

  2. Land Resource Management and Environmental Protection, Mekelle University, P.o. Box 231, Mekelle, Ethiopia

    Eskinder Gidey & Amanuel Zenebe

  3. Institute of Climate and Society, Mekelle University, P.O. Box 231, Mekelle, Ethiopia

    Eskinder Gidey & Amanuel Zenebe

Authors
  1. Eskinder Gidey
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  2. Oagile Dikinya
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  3. Reuben Sebego
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  4. Eagilwe Segosebe
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  5. Amanuel Zenebe
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Correspondence to Eskinder Gidey.

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Gidey, E., Dikinya, O., Sebego, R. et al. Modeling the Spatio-Temporal Meteorological Drought Characteristics Using the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) in Raya and Its Environs, Northern Ethiopia. Earth Syst Environ 2, 281–292 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41748-018-0057-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41748-018-0057-7

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