Abstract
This study was conducted to investigate historical climate dynamics and the resultant risks at four sites (Meki, Melkassa, Miesso and Ziway) in the Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia. It involved analysis of rainfall and temperature data in the study areas. The results showed the existence of high inter-annual rainfall variability within seasons and sites. The number of rainy days exhibited a declining trend at Meki in both belg (FMAM) and kiremt (JJAS) seasons and an increasing trend at Melkassa in the belg season; while an increasing trend was observed at Miesso and Ziway in the kiremt season, and no change in trends was observed in the belg season at both sites. The minimum and maximum temperature showed an increasing trend at Miesso and Ziway, whereas no change was observed at Melkassa. As opposed to the cessation of the rainfall, onset dates of rainfall were highly variable at all sites. The median length of the growing period was found to be 101, 88, 118 and 104 days at Meki, Melkassa, Miesso and Ziway, respectively. The obtained results will certainly help the farming community and the agricultural sector to make a decision for the best management scheme in the central rift valley of Ethiopia. Key words: Climate change, risk, rainfall, temperature, crop production, Central Rift Valley, Belg, Kiremt.
Highlights
Increasing fossil fuel burning and land use changes emits large quantities of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere
The mean annual rainfall of the study areas ranged from 719 mm (Miesso) to 791 mm (Melkassa) and varied slightly from district to district with a standard deviation ranging from 167 (Melkasa) to
The analysis shows that the belg rainfall was more variable at Miesso, while it was much less variable at Ziway
Summary
Increasing fossil fuel burning and land use changes emits large quantities of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. These greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). A rise in these gases is causing a rise in the amount of heat from the sun withheld in the Earth’s atmosphere, heat that would normally be radiated back into space. This increase in heat load has led to the greenhouse effect resulting in climate change (UNFCCC, 2007). There is strong evidence showing that the earth’s climate is changing mainly as a result of the increasing concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere emitted from various human activities (NAPA, 2007)
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