Spatiotemporal Variability of Rainfall and Temperature for the Dhidhessa River Basin (Ethiopia)

Understanding the spatiotemporal variability of climate variables is beneficial to design climate change adaptation strategies. However, such a study is lacking in many areas at local scales. The objective of this study was to analyze the past and future temperature and rainfall trends for the Dhidhessa River basin. Quality-checked satellite datasets were used for the study. Mann–Kendall test and the Sen’s slope method were used for the trend analysis. Past and future climate trend analysis generally showed wetting and warming for the Dhidhessa River Basin, where the degree of trends varies for different time and spatial scales. A seasonal shift in rainfall was also observed for the basin. These findings informed that there will be negative impacts on rain-fed agriculture and water resources availability in the river basin. Furthermore, the climate change observed in the river basin will further influence the biophysical terrestrial processes like the hydrologic responses of a basin. This study provides helpful information to devise climate change adaptation strategies at local scales.