Analysis of Rainfall and Temperature over Climatic Zones in Nigeria

Abstract

This study presents the analysis of rainfall and temperature across the climatic zones in Nigeria. Data from ten Global Circulation Models (GCM) regridded to a 1° x 1° spatial resolution was used in this study. Model evaluation was carried out for the models using ground observed data from Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET). Based on the comparison of the models with ground observed data, the ability of the models in simulating the seasonal pattern of precipitation and temperature over each climatic zone and the whole of Nigeria differ to different degrees. Of the four periods, June, July, August (JJA) showed the highest deviation. The seasonal variation of rainfall and temperature across the climatic zones revealed the influence of the Intertropical Discontinuity (ITD) in rainfall variation across each zone with dual rainfall peak over the Guinea. The rainfall distribution showed that Sahel recorded the lowest rainfall while guinea recorded the highest rainfall. Further analysis revealed that rainfall and temperature varied mostly in the sahel. The trend analysis of rainfall and temperature showed increasing trend in rainfall over the whole of Nigeria under RCP45 and RCP85. There was general increase in temperature for all RCPs across the zones and the whole of Nigeria. Further analysis revealed that sahel will experience more dry years in rainfall and more warm years across the zones for temperature. The changes in rainfall and temperature have implications in various sectors of the economy such as agriculture, water resources and health sector. It is well known that research and development complement each other. It is important that further research be carried out particularly in projecting the change in climate at regional scales. This will provide information about the expected change or variation in climate and hence help in the mitigation of the implications of the change in climate.

Authors and Affiliations

M. T. Daramola, E. O. Eresanya, S. C. Erhabor

Keywords

Related Articles

Urban Water Resource Use and Management: An Assessment of Challenges and Opportunities of Community Water Supply Systems in Wote Town, Makueni County, Kenya

The study assesses challenges and opportunities in urban water resource use and management, drawing from a case study material of community water supply systems in Wote Town, Makueni County. Using a Survey Research Desig...

Predictive Mapping for Groundwater within Sokoto Basin, North Western Nigeria

Scarcity of water within and around Northern Nigeria is no longer a wieldy issue. There is an over reliance on groundwater, and this has led to an increase in the number of bore-holes drilled in order to augment the wate...

The Schist Enclaves of Oban Massif, Southeastern Nigeria: Consistency of Dihedral Angle and Other Natural Physical and Mechanical Properties

The schist enclaves of Oban massif, southeastern Nigeria were deformed predominantly by brittle deformation and contain a plethora of fractures such as joints and conjugate shear fractures. Analysis of the conjugate shea...

Estimation of Tropospheric Radio Refractivity and Its Variation with Meteorological Parameters over Ikeja, Nigeria

Estimation of radio refractivity is critical in the planning and design of radio links/systems for the purpose of achieving optimal performance. This present work investigates the tropospheric radio refractivity over Ike...

Spatial Assessment of Temperature and Land Cover Change as Climate Change Monitoring Strategies in Owerri, Nigeria

Climate change is one of the alarming global environmental changes likely to have deleterious effects on natural, social, cultural and human systems. The risks associated with it call for a broad spectrum of policy respo...

Download PDF file
  • EP ID EP321402
  • DOI 10.9734/JGEESI/2017/35304
  • Views 67
  • Downloads 0

How To Cite

M. T. Daramola, E. O. Eresanya, S. C. Erhabor (2017). Analysis of Rainfall and Temperature over Climatic Zones in Nigeria. Journal of Geography, Environment and Earth Science International, 11(2), 1-14. https://europub.co.uk/articles/-A-321402