Abstract
The current climate change is affecting the environment in diverse ways. Some of the effects are good and some others bad. The good side has not been given its deserved attention in Nigeria, nor has it in most parts of the world. Some areas are becoming warmer and wetter, which could enhance agriculture. This paper therefore examined the rainfall and temperature trends as tools of climate change over Kano State, north-western Nigeria, which is an area well known for agriculture. Rainfall and temperature data covering a period of 43 years (1971-2013) were collected and analyzed using the moving averages, regression and correlation statistics. Results obtained showed gradual but steady increases in both temperature and rainfall. The results indicate that Kano State is warming at an average annual rate of 0.011°C and becoming wetter at a rate of 21.26 mm per annum. An implication of this increased rainfall for farmers in the area is the opportunity to increase crop and animal production. This is because more rainfall can now be harvested. Also, soil moisture, rivers, dams, and ponds are being recharged more, thus making water more available and longer lasting for crops and animals.
Highlights
Several studies of the earth-atmosphere system have confirmed the build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere as being responsible for the present climate change via warming
After filtering out erratic variations between successive observations by the use of the 10-year moving averages statistic, annual temperature and rainfall trend lines for temperature and rainfall respectively were fitted with few peaks and depressions left
Employing the linear regression statistic to suppress all modes of fluctuations, including those left by the moving averages technique, and to highlight the general tendency, intercepts, slopes and regression line equations were generated
Summary
Several studies of the earth-atmosphere system have confirmed the build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere as being responsible for the present climate change via warming. The manifestations of this change are not the same globally since different regions are differently affected. Nwagbara these manifestations have conspicuous effects on the environment. Droughts are becoming more frequent and prolonged the world over. Extensions of this are the expansion of desertification and its concomitant effects of withering of vegetation, famine, and drying-up and/or shrinking of water bodies and increased dust loading [12]-[16]. Climate change has its good effects though not often given attention to. The increasing global temperatures are translating into increased agricultural productivity and better vegetation conditions for some regions as they become warmer and wetter. Habitable areas are enlarging for some once frozen regions as they get melted and warmer [19]
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