Lana et al. (2001) Patterns of monthly rainfall shortage and excess in terms of the standardized precipitation index for Catalonia (NE Spain)

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Identification

• Journal: International Journal of Climatology
• Year: 2001
• Date: 2001-11-15
• Authors: X. Lana, C. Serra, A. Burgueño
• DOI: 10.1002/joc.697

Research Groups

Not explicitly mentioned in the abstract.

Short Summary

This study analyzes the spatial and temporal patterns of rainfall shortage and excess in Catalonia (NE Spain) using monthly precipitation data from 99 rain gauges (1961-1990), revealing distinct regionalizations linked to topography and a trend of increasing shortage and decreasing excess over the study period.

Objective

• To analyze the spatial and temporal behaviors of rainfall shortage and excess in Catalonia (NE Spain).

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Catalonia (NE Spain), using data from 99 rain gauges distributed across the region.
• Temporal Scale: Monthly data over a 30-year period (1961-1990).

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Gamma and Poisson-gamma distributions, Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and clustering algorithms.
• Data sources: Observational monthly precipitation totals from 99 rain gauges.

Main Results

• A double spatial regionalization of Catalonia was achieved, distinguishing between rainfall shortage and excess episodes, which broadly corresponds to the region's topographic domains (e.g., Pyrenees, Central Basin, Mediterranean coast).
• A time classification of rainfall shortage and excess episodes revealed complex behaviors and a disperse spatial distribution, with episodes sometimes affecting the whole region and sometimes only small areas.
• The severity of episodes increased remarkably only for rainfall shortage.
• An increasing tendency in the number of rain gauges affected by monthly shortage was observed from 1961 to 1990.
• A significant decreasing tendency in the number of rain gauges affected by monthly excess was detected over the same period (1961-1990).

Contributions

• Developed a novel approach combining Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) with Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to achieve a double regionalization (shortage/excess) and time classification of rainfall anomalies.
• Provided a detailed spatial and temporal characterization of rainfall shortage and excess episodes for Catalonia, linking spatial patterns to topographic features.
• Identified significant long-term trends (1961-1990) in the extent of affected areas, showing an increasing tendency for rainfall shortage and a decreasing tendency for excess.

Funding

Not explicitly mentioned in the abstract.

Citation

@article{Lana2001Patterns,
  author = {Lana, X. and Serra, C. and Burgueño, A.},
  title = {Patterns of monthly rainfall shortage and excess in terms of the standardized precipitation index for Catalonia (NE Spain)},
  journal = {International Journal of Climatology},
  year = {2001},
  doi = {10.1002/joc.697},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.697}
}