Temporal variability and trend analysis of temperature and rainfall in the Northern highlands of Ethiopia

This study investigates the temporal variability and trend of temperature and rainfall in Gelana sub-watershed, northern highlands of Ethiopia. The study employed a mixed methods approach, but overwhelmingly relied on gridded monthly rainfall and maximum and minimum temperature data at a resolution of 10 × 10 km. The quantitative data were analyzed using standardized rainfall anomaly, precipitation concentration index, coefficient of variation and Mann-Kendall (MK) trend analysis. The results indicated that rainfall over “Kiremit” and “Belg” seasons is found highly variable in the study area. The annual total rainfall has shown an increasing trend of 0.05 mm per year. The MK test results showed that “Kiremit” rainfall has a positive increasing trend, while Belg rainfall showed a statistically significant decreasing trend. A warming trend of annual maximum and minimum temperature has been observed over the study area. The study suggests strategies to enhance the adaptive capacity of agricultural systems and to reduce the likelihood of production risks.