Abstract
Lebanon is affected by climate change, the decrease in precipitation, the changes in the rainfall pattern, and the increase in evapotranspiration were exacerbated by water shortage due to urbanization and population growth. In the past decades water resources continue to decrease. We have studied this phenomenon and analyzed different indices of weather parameters and compared different records in graphical illustrations and numerical values. The study looked at the minimal (low) and maximal (high) temperatures as well as the precipitations. The data used was provided from four principal meteorological stations in Lebanon: Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Tripoli, Cedars, and Rayak from 1930 to 2019. Several observations regarding the variation of the temperature and precipitation were noted. The hottest temperature recorded in Beirut was (38 °C) reported in August 2015. Historically, the average temperature from July to September is normally around 26 °C; in 2012 the average temperature was around 28.5 °C, with an average daily temperature as high as 33 °C. An elevated rainfall quantity (25 mm) was recorded on June 13th, 2011 in Tripoli (North Lebanon), and in 2013 it was the worst precipitation year in past 15 years. We can conclude that the average temperature has increased between 1 to 3 °C, and globally, the monthly average precipitation was slightly decreased in the availability of water resources, between 6 and 12%. Lebanon was considered rich in water resources compared to Middle Eastern neighbouring countries; Lebanon is now experiencing a shortage in water resources close to hydrological drought.
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Acknowledgements
We express our profound gratitude to Mr. Marc Wehaibe, the chief of the Meteorology department at the Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut, for sharing data.
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Halwani, J., Halwani, B. (2022). Climate Change in Lebanon and the Impact to Water Resources. In: Leal Filho, W., Manolas, E. (eds) Climate Change in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Region. Climate Change Management. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-78566-6_19
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