Seasonal Precipitation and Anomaly Analysis in Middle East Asian Countries Using Google Earth Engine

Neyara Radwan, Bijay Halder, Minhaz Farid Ahmed, Samyah Salem Refadah, Mohd Yawar Ali Khan, Miklas Scholz, Saad Sh Sammen, Chaitanya Baliram Pande

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Middle East (ME) countries have arid and semi-arid climates with low annual precipitation and considerable geographical and temporal variability, which contribute to their extremely erratic rainfall. The generation of timely and accurate climatic information for the ME is anticipated to be aided by global reanalysis products and satellite-based precipitation estimations. Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed Information using Artificial Neural Networks (PERSIANN) and Climate Hazards Group Infra-Red Precipitation (CHIRPS) on Google Earth Engine (GEE) were used to study rainfall in eleven chosen ME counties from 2000 to 2023. This study shows that Saudi Arabia (509.64 mm/December–January–February; DJF), Iraq (211.50 mm/September–October–November; SON), Iran (306.35 mm/SON), Jordan (161.28 mm/DJF), Kuwait (44.66 mm), Syria (246.51 mm/DJF), UAE–Qatar–Bahrain (28.62 mm/SON), Oman (64.90 mm/June–July–August; JJA), and Yemen (240.27 mm/SON) were the countries with the highest rainfall. Due to improved ground station integration, CHIRPS also reports larger rainfall anomalies, with a peak of 59.15 mm in DJF, mainly in northern Iran, Iraq, and Syria. PERSIANN understates heavy rainfall, probably because it relies on infrared satellite data, with a maximum anomaly of 4.15 mm. Saudi Arabia saw heavy rain during the JJA months, while others received less. More accurate rainfall forecasts in the ME can lessen the effects of floods and droughts, promoting environmental resilience and regional economic stability. Therefore, a more comprehensive understanding of all the relevant components is necessary to address these difficulties. Both environmental and human impacts must be taken into account for sustainable solutions.

Original languageEnglish
Article number1475
JournalWater (Switzerland)
Volume17
Issue number10
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - May 2025

Keywords

  • anomaly
  • CHIRPS data
  • climate change
  • forecasting
  • PERSIANN data
  • rainfall

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biochemistry
  • Geography, Planning and Development
  • Aquatic Science
  • Water Science and Technology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Seasonal Precipitation and Anomaly Analysis in Middle East Asian Countries Using Google Earth Engine'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this