Abstract
In this study, the characteristics of climate extremes are investigated in different climatic regions and different seasons over Saudi Arabia for the period 1978–2021. For this purpose, the climate extreme indices are calculated using two methods: (i) fixed threshold and (ii) the standard metrics defined by the Expert Team on Climate Change Detection and Indices (ETCCDI). The temperature and rainfall extremes are computed for five climatic regions within Saudi Arabia, namely northern, coastal, interior, highland, and southern. The indices measuring the occurrence of warm days reveal an increasing trend in all seasons and regions, with the highest increases in the highland and interior regions. Warm days occur most frequently in autumn, followed by winter. There is a decreasing trend in the occurrence of cold nights, with trend rates higher in the highland and northern regions. The decreasing trend in cold nights is observed mostly in the winter, spring, and autumn seasons. Rainfall, as well as the frequency of wet days and very wet days, is all increasing in the northern and southern regions — an indication of more flash floods in these regions. On the other hand, the frequency of wet and very wet days is decreasing in the interior and highland regions — an alarming sign for future drought events. The trends in the above indices are almost flat in the coastal region. Results indicate that wet season rainfall dominates in the northern, coastal, and interior regions, while dry season rainfall occurs mostly in the highland and southern regions. Such information on the regional and seasonal variations of climate extremes can be used by planners and decision-makers of the country.
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Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge the King Abdulaziz University for its support and the National Center for Meteorology for providing necessary data. Computation for the work described in this paper was performed using Aziz Supercomputer at King Abdulaziz University’s High-Performance Computing Center, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
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Almazroui, M., Halwani, H.A., Islam, M.N. et al. Regional and seasonal variation of climate extremes over Saudi Arabia: observed evidence for the period 1978–2021. Arab J Geosci 15, 1605 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-022-10882-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-022-10882-0