Analysis of Spatio-temporal variability of rainfall and temperature in southern Kaduna region, Nigeria: implication for water availability

This study investigated the spatio-temporal variability of rainfall and temperature in the Southern Kaduna Region over the 20-year period from 2001 to 2020 using the Mann-Kendall model and how it affects surface and groundwater recharge for various uses in the region Data sourced from the National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA) and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) included monthly minimum/maximum temperature records and monthly rainfall measurements. Analytical methods employed encompass descriptive statistics, time series plots, linear regression, and the Mann-Kendall trend test. Results indicated a positive Mann-Kendall statistic (S) for precipitation data, signifying increasing trends in the region. Conversely, temperature data exhibit negative Mann-Kendall statistics, indicating decreasing trends, though not statistically significant at the 5% level. Linear regression analysis revealed a negative slope, suggesting that increasing temperatures correspond to a decrease in rainfall by 1.75mm in Southern Kaduna. The study recommended further research to explore additional factors influencing rainfall variability in the area not captured in this investigation.