Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11765/12182
Spatial distribution and trends of different precipitation variability indices based on daily data in Northern Chile between 1966 and 2015
Title: Spatial distribution and trends of different precipitation variability indices based on daily data in Northern Chile between 1966 and 2015
Authors: Meseguer Ruiz, ÓliverPonce Philimon, Paulina I.Guijarro Pastor, José Antonio ORCID RESEARCHERID Autor AEMETSarricolea, Pablo
Keywords: Concentration Index; Climate variability; Entropy; Fractal Dimension; Persistence; Northern Chile
Issue Date: 2019
Publisher: Royal Meteorological Society; Wiley
Citation: International Journal of Climatology. 2019, 39(2), p. 4595-4610
Publisher version: https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/joc.6089
Abstract: Northern Chile is one of the most arid regions in the world, as it includes the Atacama Desert. At high elevations, most precipitation is observed only during a short period of the year, from December until March. This renders water availability a major concern for policymakers. Accumulated rainfall varies considerably from one year to another, and for this reason, climate projections have a very low degree of confidence in this area. Consequently, in this region, it is more interesting to study the irregularity of precipitation itself than accumulated rainfall values, as they express in a clearer way the behaviour of precipitation. According to daily data from 161 meteorological stations, four irregularity indices of precipitation were calculated: concentration index, entropy, persistence index, and fractal dimension. These indices were measured according to observed values, and their spatial distribution was subsequently determined by interpolating following multivariate regression models that consider different geographical variables such as latitude, distance to the Amazon Basin, elevation, orientation, and curvature. The temporal trends of each index and for each meteorological station were also calculated, displaying different results depending on the latitude and elevation. These changes agree with the observed modifications on the inter‐tropical atmospheric circulation and with changes in the precipitation diurnal cycle. These results will help improve climate projections for this region, in the process facilitating the development of more accurate climate models and informing the formulation of water management policies.
Sponsorship : The authors want to thank the FONDECYT Project 11160059, the CLICES Project (CGL2017‐83866‐C3‐2‐R), and the Climatology Group (2017 SGR 1362, Catalan Government) for their support.
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11765/12182
ISSN: 0899-8418
1097-0088
Appears in Collections:Artículos científicos 2019-2022


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