Spatial and temporal variability of rainfall under an arid climate condition: Case of Gafsa Basin, Southern Tunisia.

Abstract

Understanding the rainfall variability should put into consideration several aspects in order to highlight facts and trying to recommend solutions. In a continental scale the Republic of Tunisia is one of the countries inside the MENA region and extremely affected by the global climate change condition same like all the countries abound. The study of the variability should identify the problem statements according to adequate and meaningful data sets to get into concrete results to cope with climatic challenges and cite recommendations therefore considered as a priority for future life. The basin of GAFSA located in the south western of the Tunisia republic, statistical analysis following several models based on rainfall data recorded during around 56 years from 1960 to 2015 at 18 rainfall stations highlighted that the GAFSA region is characterised by a significant variability in precipitation, this instability derived from a sequence of analysis in which both a descriptive and a spectral analysis (Wavelet analysis) combine to show up specific components reflects this spatial- temporal variability of precipitation such as , Altitude, longitude, latitude and the frequency of rainfall.