Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Ph.D. Student in Meteorology, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran
2 Professor of Climatology, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran
3 Associate Professor of Environmental science, University of Zanjan, Zanjan , Iran
Abstract
Extended Abstract
Introduction
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has reported that climate change results in anomalies, fluctuations or trends in climatic elements, such as precipitation and temperature. In this study, we aim to investigate the decadal changes in the probability of different durations of precipitation in Iran over the past four decades (1977-2016). To achieve this goal, we used the third version of the Asfazari database. We defined a rainy day as a day when the precipitation is more than the average precipitation in a given place. The Markov chain method was employed to estimate the probability of precipitation duration from 1971 through 2016.
Materials and Methods
We adopted the daily data of 2188 stations under the supervision of Iran’s Meteorological Organization for the period 1971 through 2016. Accordingly, we estimated the probability of precipitation duration for 1-7 days for the entire period. We investigated the decadal changes in the probability of precipitation duration for the four study decades and compared them to the whole period under investigation. To understand the spatial features of these changes, we estimated the relationship between changes in the probability of precipitation duration for 1-7 days and spatial factors using multivariate regression models.
Results and Discussion
Our findings revealed that as the duration of rainy days increased, the area affected by precipitation decreased. Therefore, the spatial distribution of the probability of precipitation duration for more than 7 days indicated the smallest area that received precipitation. The probability duration of precipitation lasting 4 days or more throughout Iran was very small, which can be attributed to the effects of local features on precipitation formation. The probability of 1-day precipitation for most regions of Iran was higher than other durations; however, there was only a probability of 1-day precipitation in half of Iran. The highest probability of precipitation duration occurred in the Caspian region, the only region that experienced all durations of precipitation, indicating the presence of various precipitation mechanisms in this area. The greatest probability of decadal changes was observed in the 1-7 day duration in the northern part of Iran, including the northwest to the east of the Caspian Sea and in the south of Alborz Mountain range. Additionally, the most changes in the probability durations of 1-7 days of precipitation in the south have been seen in Sistan and Baluchistan. The lowest probability of decadal changes was shown in large areas of the regions from the east, southeast, and southwest. Therefore, the changes in precipitation durations in the southern half of the regions were generally low; however, in the northern half, the changes were relatively significant.
In general, during the four study decades, the relationship between changes in the probability of 1-7 day precipitation durations and spatial factors, particularly latitude, was positive. Thus, decreasing latitudes resulted in an increasing probability of 1-7 day precipitation.
Conclusion
The most likely changes in precipitation duration were related to the western and eastern coast of the Caspian Sea and the northwestern region of Iran, as well as southern Alborz, where the probability of changes decreased. The least amount of possible changes was related to the south of Iran, where only two provinces, Sistan and Baluchistan, and Hormozgan, experienced the greatest change in the probability of one to seven days of precipitation. Thus, the possible changes in the spatial continuation of precipitation in the southern half of the country were primarily low. However, in the northern half, the possible changes in the duration of precipitation were more significant. changes in the duration of precipitation, along with changes in the intensity and frequency of precipitation, can have significant consequences in extreme events such as droughts and floods. Accurately depicting changes in precipitation duration can be helpful in addressing problems concerning precipitation.
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Main Subjects
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