The phenomenon of drought in Ethiopia: historical evolution and climatic forcing
The phenomenon of drought in Ethiopia: historical evolution and climatic forcing
This study examines drought patterns in Ethiopia's 12 major river basins from 1981 to 2018 using the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI). Both indices reveal historical drought episodes with slight variations, with significant differences in 1984, 2009, and 2015. Except for the Wabi-Shebelle catchment in southern Ethiopia, all river basins show an increasing trend in SPI12 and SPEI12 indices. The eastern and central regions experience more drought according to SPEI3. Seasonal correlations show that during the March–May rainy season, precipitation is negatively correlated with the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) index, while in the June–September season, it negatively correlates with Nino 3.4 and positively with IOD. The study also found that El Niño leads to less rainfall in the Ethiopian highlands, while La Niña results in more rainfall in the central and northern highlands but less in the south.
595-612
Mulualem, Getachew Mehabie
88668cda-20ef-4543-a7e7-0a5f0c993d7b
Raju, U. Jaya Parakash
7947b8b4-c6d1-4611-8236-f1ae131c9c9b
Stojanovic, Milica
f8143b49-2387-4503-a223-c59306923b5e
Sorí, Rogert
1d467d75-d98a-4d0b-8ae9-b97716bdecc6
1 June 2024
Mulualem, Getachew Mehabie
88668cda-20ef-4543-a7e7-0a5f0c993d7b
Raju, U. Jaya Parakash
7947b8b4-c6d1-4611-8236-f1ae131c9c9b
Stojanovic, Milica
f8143b49-2387-4503-a223-c59306923b5e
Sorí, Rogert
1d467d75-d98a-4d0b-8ae9-b97716bdecc6
Mulualem, Getachew Mehabie, Raju, U. Jaya Parakash, Stojanovic, Milica and Sorí, Rogert
(2024)
The phenomenon of drought in Ethiopia: historical evolution and climatic forcing.
Hydrology Research, 55 (6), .
(doi:10.2166/nh.2024.192).
Abstract
This study examines drought patterns in Ethiopia's 12 major river basins from 1981 to 2018 using the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI). Both indices reveal historical drought episodes with slight variations, with significant differences in 1984, 2009, and 2015. Except for the Wabi-Shebelle catchment in southern Ethiopia, all river basins show an increasing trend in SPI12 and SPEI12 indices. The eastern and central regions experience more drought according to SPEI3. Seasonal correlations show that during the March–May rainy season, precipitation is negatively correlated with the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) index, while in the June–September season, it negatively correlates with Nino 3.4 and positively with IOD. The study also found that El Niño leads to less rainfall in the Ethiopian highlands, while La Niña results in more rainfall in the central and northern highlands but less in the south.
Text
nh0550595
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Accepted/In Press date: 4 May 2024
e-pub ahead of print date: 15 May 2024
Published date: 1 June 2024
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Local EPrints ID: 500485
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/500485
ISSN: 1998-9563
PURE UUID: fdb2efe3-caa8-4c38-9add-55658f4be6c8
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Date deposited: 01 May 2025 16:42
Last modified: 22 Aug 2025 02:45
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Author:
Getachew Mehabie Mulualem
Author:
U. Jaya Parakash Raju
Author:
Milica Stojanovic
Author:
Rogert Sorí
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