Evaluation of the spatial distribution of the extreme rainfall across Algeria country

• Published in: Environmental earth sciences 2024-07, Vol.83 (14), p.440, Article 440
• Main Authors: Salhi, Hicham, Hadjira, Abdelmounaim, Belkhiri, Lazhar, Tiri, Ammar, Mouni, Lotfi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Annual rainfall; Biogeosciences; Climate change; Climate science; Cluster analysis; Drought; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth science; Earth Sciences; Environmental risk; Environmental Science and Engineering; Extreme values; Extreme weather; Flood risk; Floods; Geochemistry; Geology; Hydrologic data; Hydrology/Water Resources; Maximum rainfall; Precipitation; Rainfall; Rainfall data; Resource management; Review Article; Risk assessment; Spatial distribution; Storm damage; Terrestrial Pollution; Variables; Water distribution; Weather; Winds
• ISSN: 1866-6280; 1866-6299
• DOI: 10.1007/s12665-024-11746-4

Identifying of the spatial distribution of the extreme rainfall in various regions of Algeria is a crucial element over the last four decades provides essential information for infrastructure development, assessing risks of flooding and drought, agricultural planning, and resource management. In the present study, the 30-day annual maximum rainfall spanning a period from 1979 to 2012 in Algeria was analyzed for each grid cell, where a “grid” denotes a spatial framework used to organize and analyze rainfall data across the country’s geographical extent. The proposed percentiles such as 5th, 50th, 75th and 95th of the extreme precipitation for each grid cell were computed. Moran’s index, Universal Kriging method, Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) were used in order to undestandat the spatial distribution of the extreme rainfall over Algeria country. The results obtained reveal a distinct spatial distribution of extreme rainfall events across Algeria, with higher amounts observed in the northern part of the country, followed by smaller amounts in the northeast, northwest and central regions. In contrast, the southern part, with a few exceptions in the Adrar region, experiences lower amounts of extreme rainfall. Various factors such as to-pography, water systems, prevailing winds and climate change likely influence this sptial pattern. Understanding these factors is essential to effectively manage and mitigate the impacts of extreme rainfall events in different regions of Algeria country.