Trend and variability of hydrometeorological variables of Tikur Wuha watershed in Ethiopia

Abstract

The study assessed monthly, seasonal, and annual variability and trend of hydrometeorological variables for 1978�2017 of Tikur Wuha watershed in Ethiopia. The Mann-Kendall trend test and Sen�s slope estimator were employed for the trend and size of the trend, respectively. Besides, the coefficient of variation has been computed for variability analysis. The areal average annual rainfall exhibited an insignificant declining trend with a magnitude of 20.8�mm/decade at a watershed scale. The watershed has been suffering from irregular and erratic rainfall during the dry season. Temperature exhibited a statistically significant rising trend with minimum temperature rises faster than that of the maximum temperature. The streamflow of the Tikur Wuha River was found to be increasing at the rate of 21.16 MCM/decade. The increasing trend of streamflow without the corresponding increase of rainfall in the watershed needs further investigation. � 2020, Saudi Society for Geosciences.