Some aspects of the spatial characteristics of drought in northern Nigeria

ABSTRACT

A long-period instrumental data set (1916-1987) of monthly growing season (April-Octuber) rainfall totals for 34 stations in northen Nigeria is used to quantify drought fokkowing the method of H. N. Bhalme and D.A. Mooley. It is established are remarkable seasonal changes in the patterns of wetness and dryness over the region with no consistent recurrent spatial patterns in the moisture anomalies. Although discrete area do catch the brunt of drought on a year-by-by-year basis, drought occurrence in the region is largely sporadic in its spatial distribution. The rather noisy spatial characteristics of drought in northern Nigeria suggests that the seasonal shift in the Intertropical Discontinuty (ITD) is not likely the most important causal mechanism of drought in the region (AU)