Speaker
Description
This study aims to analyze rainfall patterns in the west-central region of Morocco, characterized by a semi-arid climate with fluctuating rainfall and frequent droughts. The research employs the Mann-Kendall test and continuous wavelet transform (CWT) on monthly and annual rainfall data from six rain gauges. Furthermore, the investigation explores the connection between monthly precipitation and two climate oscillations, namely the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the Western Mediterranean Oscillation (WeMO). The results indicate insignificant decreasing trends in annual precipitation. However, the monthly precipitation patterns exhibit similarities to the annual scale both spatially and temporally. The CWT analysis identifies a notable and consistent 8-year cycle in rainfall, highlighting a robust association between the NAO and WeMO phases and rainfall patterns over time. These findings underscore the substantial correlations between NAO/WeMO and precipitation, with correlation values reaching as high as -0.61. Overall, this research marks an initial step in understanding the impact of climate indices on rainfall patterns in the North African region.
