Summary
In order to provide informative resources for future developments in water-related sectors, it is necessary to examine the characteristics of rainfall distribution. The analysis of the distribution of wet and dry spells based on daily rainfall occurrence is becoming important and such analysis can be used for the purpose of decision making or predictions. Various kinds of theoretical distributions have been fitted to a sequence of wet (dry) days. This study aims to fit seven types of theoretical distribution to wet (dry) spells data for 10 principal rain gauge stations in Peninsular Malaysia. The sequence of wet (dry) days will be analyzed separately at each station using daily rainfall observations for the period 1971–2005. In determining the best fitting distribution to describe the observed distribution of wet (dry) spells, a chi square goodness-of-fit test was used. A compound geometric distribution and the truncated negative binomial distribution were the most frequent theoretical distribution selected to describe the characteristics of wet and dry spells, respectively. This study has also identified the most appropriate theoretical distribution for each rainfall station in Peninsular Malaysia, which varied according to the location of the stations.
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Correspondence: Sayang Mohd Deni, Center for Statistical Studies, Faculty of Information Technology and Quantitative Science, MARA University of Technology (UiTM), 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
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Deni, S., Jemain, A. & Ibrahim, K. The spatial distribution of wet and dry spells over Peninsular Malaysia. Theor Appl Climatol 94, 163–173 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-007-0355-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-007-0355-8