TY - JOUR
T1 - Empirical models of rain-spells characteristics - A case study of a Mediterranean-arid climatic transect
AU - Aviad, Yaakov
AU - Kutiel, Haim
AU - Lavee, Hanoch
PY - 2013/10
Y1 - 2013/10
N2 - Environmental (geomorphological, hydrological and ecological) processes are controlled by rainfall, particularly in the Mediterranean, semi-arid and arid regions. Rainfall was analyzed using the concept of rain-spells, i.e., a period of successive rain days preceded and followed by at least one day without rainfall. Daily data from 13 stations along a climatic transect extending from the Judean Mountains with a Mediterranean climate to the Dead Sea arid region in Israel were studied. Rain-spell characteristics (number, yield and duration), based on these data, are presented for different rainfall thresholds, which might be used for different environmental processes such as rock weathering, soil organic matter dynamics, landslides, overland flow and floods and soil erosion. Three estimation models have been developed in order to predict the mean annual Number of Rain-Spells (NRS), mean Rain-Spell Yield (RSY), and mean Rain-Spell Duration (RSD) for the mean annual rainfall and for any given rainfall threshold. These models can be used for current climatic conditions and for scenarios in which the rainfall total changes.
AB - Environmental (geomorphological, hydrological and ecological) processes are controlled by rainfall, particularly in the Mediterranean, semi-arid and arid regions. Rainfall was analyzed using the concept of rain-spells, i.e., a period of successive rain days preceded and followed by at least one day without rainfall. Daily data from 13 stations along a climatic transect extending from the Judean Mountains with a Mediterranean climate to the Dead Sea arid region in Israel were studied. Rain-spell characteristics (number, yield and duration), based on these data, are presented for different rainfall thresholds, which might be used for different environmental processes such as rock weathering, soil organic matter dynamics, landslides, overland flow and floods and soil erosion. Three estimation models have been developed in order to predict the mean annual Number of Rain-Spells (NRS), mean Rain-Spell Yield (RSY), and mean Rain-Spell Duration (RSD) for the mean annual rainfall and for any given rainfall threshold. These models can be used for current climatic conditions and for scenarios in which the rainfall total changes.
KW - Climatic transect
KW - Daily rainfall series
KW - Rain-spell
KW - Rainfall threshold
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84879563295&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2013.05.015
DO - 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2013.05.015
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AN - SCOPUS:84879563295
SN - 0140-1963
VL - 97
SP - 84
EP - 91
JO - Journal of Arid Environments
JF - Journal of Arid Environments
ER -