Spatial and Temporal Variation of Precipitation in Greece and Surrounding Regions Based on Global Precipitation Climatology Project Data

Abstract In this study, the spatial and temporal distribution of precipitation in the broader Greek area is investigated for the 26-yr period 1979–2004 by using monthly mean satellite-based data, with complete spatial coverage, taken from the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP). The results show that there exists a clear contrast between the more rainy western Greek area (rainside) and the drier eastern one (rainshadow), whereas there is little precipitation over the islands, particularly in the southern parts. The computed long-term areal mean annual precipitation amount averaged for the study area is equal to P = 639.8 ± 44.8 mm yr−1, showing a decreasing trend of −2.32 mm yr−1 or −60.3 mm over the 26-yr study period, which corresponds to −9.4%. This decrease of precipitation, arising primarily in winter and secondarily in spring, is the result of a decreasing trend from 1979 through the 1980s, against an increase during the 1990s through the early 2000s, followed again by a decrease up to t...