Wavelet based periodical analysis of the precipitation data of the Mediterranean Region and its relation to atmospheric indices

Abstract

Main aim of this study finds out multi annual variability of the precipitation data in the Mediterranean Region of Turkey. For this aim, continuous wavelet transformation and global wavelet spectrum was applied on the annual and seasonal precipitation data. The results show that there are strong periodic events at 1–4 scale years in the precipitation data. These periodicities may be related to the El Nino and La Nina phenomenon. Besides, nearly 8–10 year periodicity has the highest magnitudes for the both annual and winter precipitation. The global wavelet spectrum of precipitation data shows that the main multi-annual periodicities are at 16 year scale level for Burdur station while the main multi-annual periodicities are at 8 year scale level for Adana and Alanya stations. Besides, the results indicate that the precipitation data of the Mediterranean Region has high negative correlations with the North Atlantic Oscillation.