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The changing rainy season climatology of mid-Ghana

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Abstract

Daily rainfall data are examined through the temporal analysis of various definitions of variable temporal units (VTUs) consisting of combinations of various starting dates and durations over mid-Ghana. These VTUs are independent of, yet encompass, the starting dates and durations of the major and minor rainy seasons. Within each VTU, total rainfall and number of rainy days are calculated to describe the rainfall characteristics of the unit. Means and variances of each variable are calculated for each unit over two 20-year periods, 1951–1970 (P1) and 1981–2000 (P2). In P2, the major and minor rainy seasons have undergone varying degrees of desiccation. This reduction in rainfall is, however, not temporally or spatially uniform. The widespread decline of mean rainfall totals and number of rainy days during the minor rainy season, often associated with greater inter-annual variability, is particularly threatening to the production of a second crop.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography and Resource Development, University of Ghana, PO Box LG59, Legon, Ghana

    Kwadwo Owusu

  2. Department of Geography, University of Florida, 3141 Turlington Hall, PO Box 117315, Gainesville, FL, 32611-7315, USA

    Peter R. Waylen

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  1. Kwadwo Owusu
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  2. Peter R. Waylen
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Correspondence to Kwadwo Owusu.

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Owusu, K., Waylen, P.R. The changing rainy season climatology of mid-Ghana. Theor Appl Climatol 112, 419–430 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-012-0736-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-012-0736-5

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