CLIMATE CHANGE OVER THE ARABIAN PENINSULA: INFERENCES FROM TRMM DATA

The Arabian Peninsula, like many parts of the world, is apparently witnessing the impacts of global climate change. The spatial and temporal variations in precipitation extracted from the 3-hourly Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission data (TRMM) acquired (2002-present) over the Arabian Shield was used to investigate the nature and magnitude of these changes. Examination of trend images extracted from monthly precipitation data revealed a general increase in precipitation along the coastal zones. In some areas the trend image showed an annual increase in precipitation amounting to more than 5 mm/yr. The Red Sea hills, like many parts of the Arabian Peninsula’s coastal areas, show an increase in precipitation on the trend images. The precipitation in the Arabian Shield occurs during one of two seasons, the first occurs in April through September and is monsoonal in origin. Trend images produced for these months show an increase of more than 5mm in the Jazan area, and along the eastern margin of Yemen and the southeast coastal areas of Oman. The second season is from October to March and is caused by the Westerlies. Trend images for these months show an increase in precipitation exceeding 6mm/yr in Jeddah, southern Yemen and Oman.