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Trends in rainfall and rainfall-related extremes in the east coast of peninsular Malaysia

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Abstract

The coastlines have been identified as the most vulnerable regions with respect to hydrological hazards as a result of climate change and variability. The east of peninsular Malaysia is not an exception for this, considering the evidence of heavy rainfall resulting in floods as an annual phenomenon and also water scarcity due to long dry spells in the region. This study examines recent trends in rainfall and rainfall- related extremes such as, maximum daily rainfall, number of rainy days, average rainfall intensity, heavy rainfall days, extreme rainfall days, and precipitation concentration index in the east coast of peninsular Malaysia. Recent 40 years (1971–2010) rainfall records from 54 stations along the east coast of peninsular Malaysia have been analyzed using the non-parametric Mann–Kendall test and the Sen’s slope method. The Monte Carlo simulation technique has been used to determine the field significance of the regional trends. The results showed that there was a substantial increase in the annual rainfall as well as the rainfall during the monsoon period. Also, there was an increase in the number of heavy rainfall days during the past four decades.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Hydraulics and Hydrology, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), 81310, JohorBahru, Malaysia

    OLANIYA OLUSEGUN MAYOWA, SAHAR HADI POUR, SHAMSUDDIN SHAHID, MORTEZA MOHSENIPOUR, SOBRI BIN HARUN, ARIEN HERYANSYAH & TARMIZI ISMAIL

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  1. OLANIYA OLUSEGUN MAYOWA
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  2. SAHAR HADI POUR
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  3. SHAMSUDDIN SHAHID
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  4. MORTEZA MOHSENIPOUR
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  5. SOBRI BIN HARUN
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  6. ARIEN HERYANSYAH
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  7. TARMIZI ISMAIL
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Correspondence to MORTEZA MOHSENIPOUR.

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MAYOWA, O.O., POUR, S.H., SHAHID, S. et al. Trends in rainfall and rainfall-related extremes in the east coast of peninsular Malaysia. J Earth Syst Sci 124, 1609–1622 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-015-0639-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-015-0639-9

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