Abstract
With varied implications, Ghana’s temperature and rainfall are projected to rise and decline, respectively. A study exposing specific areas of concern for appropriate responses in this regard is a welcome one. This study sought to describe the temporal variations in temperature and rainfall in the Bawku Area of Ghana. A forty-year (1976–2015) daily climate data was collected on three meteorological stations from the Ghana Meteorological Agency. Normality test, homogeneity test, Standardised Precipitation Index (SPI) analysis, Mann–Kendall trend test, and One-way post hoc ANOVA were performed using XLSTAT and DrinC. Over the period under study, the mean annual rainfall pattern was generally erratic, fluctuating between 669.8 mm and 1339.4.6 mm with an annual average of 935.3 mm. The long-term (40-year period) average temperature of the three stations, on the other hand, was 28.7°C, varying between 26.9°C and 29.9°C annually. Whereas the SPI value of 2006 was ≥2.0, indicating extremely wet year with 2.3% probability of recurring once every 50 years, 1988 was the hottest year with temperature anomaly value of 1.2°C, while coolest years were 1979 (−1.8°C) and 1976 (−1.0°C). The Mann–Kendall trend test showed a rise in rainfall in Binduri, Garu-Tempane, and Manga, yet none of the rainfall changes were statistically significant (P>0.05). Mean temperature on the other hand experienced a significant rise (P<0.05). With an R-square of 34.7%, the rise in temperature in Manga witnessed the most significant change in annual temperature changes. There were statistically significant (P<0.05) differences in the interdecadal temperature over the 40-year period. Generally, it can be stated that both temperature and rainfall vary in the study area with various degrees of disparities, but temperature assumes an upward trend at a faster rate. We therefore recommend that stakeholders resort to the construction of dams and boreholes to ensure regular availability of water for both domestic and agricultural uses.
Highlights
Global climate is reported to have witnessed a drastic change at least over the last century as observed in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) fourth and fifth assessment reports. e effect of this change has resulted in the changes and shifts in the patterns of the climate elements, precipitation, humidity, and temperature across the globe [1]
This study intends to fill that gap and add to literature. It is on the backdrop of the above that this study aims to analyse the trends of temperature and rainfall in the Bawku Area of Upper East Region (UER) of the Savannah agroclimatological zone of Ghana between 1976 and 2015
Emphasis was placed on the temporal description of temperature and rainfall in the Bawku Area of Upper East Region of the Savannah zone of Ghana
Summary
Global climate is reported to have witnessed a drastic change at least over the last century as observed in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) fourth and fifth assessment reports. e effect of this change has resulted in the changes and shifts in the patterns of the climate elements, precipitation, humidity, and temperature across the globe [1]. E effect of this change has resulted in the changes and shifts in the patterns of the climate elements, precipitation, humidity, and temperature across the globe [1]. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reported that the global mean surface temperature has increased by 0.76°C in the last 150 years and will continue to witness an upward trend in the range of 1–6°C by the end of the 21st century if nothing is done to mitigate it [2]. Global warming is described as the basis of climate change which the world is battling to resolve; these changes are extreme weather conditions, sea level rise, and a shift and erratic precipitation pattern observed in recent times [3]. Even though every country around the globe contributes to the emission and climate change, developed countries are reported to be the major contributors, yet the minor contributors, developing countries, are the more vulnerable to the eventual impacts [8]
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