Trends and spatial patterns of drought incidence in the omo‐ghibe river basin, ethiopia

Research reveals complex spatial patterns of drought incidence in the Omo-Ghibe River Basin, Ethiopia, with southern lowlands experiencing significantly more frequent and intense droughts compared to northeastern regions like Wolaita Sodo. Over a 100-year period, the basin is projected to face 57–69 short-term (3-month) drought events, tapering to 5–9 long-term (24-month) events. While drought frequency peaked in the 1980s, rainfall anomalies shifted positively in subsequent decades, suggesting a trend toward fewer extreme droughts. The study employed the Standard Precipitation Index (SPI) at multiple timescales and applied statistical tests like Mann-Kendall’s to analyze temporal changes, providing critical insights for water resource management in rain-fed pastoral systems.

Degefu, M. A., & Bewket, W. (2015). Trends and spatial patterns of drought incidence in the omo‐ghibe river basin, ethiopia. Geografiska Annaler: Series A, Physical Geography, 97(2), 395–414. https://doi.org/10.1111/geoa.12080