Annual and Monthly Precipitation Variability in the Ionian Islands Using 16-Year TRMM Data

Abstract

The study examines the spatiotemporal variation of precipitation patterns across the Greek part of the Ionian Sea and the coastal area of western Greece, for a 16-year period (1998–2013), using TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission) precipitation datasets. The results, highlight notable temporal and spatial differences either in annual or monthly precipitation height. The spatial distribution of the precipitation, has a notable latitudinal behavior, annually, with the northern part to have significantly larger precipitation heights compared with the southern parts. A decrease in the annual precipitation was also recorded in the largest part of the study area, especially in the northern parts. At monthly basis, it was concluded that the two drier months (July and August) have a tendency for even smaller precipitation heights as well as the two of the wetter months (November and December).