4.5 Article

Spatial and temporal rainfall variability in the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica

Journal

THEORETICAL AND APPLIED CLIMATOLOGY
Volume 151, Issue 3-4, Pages 1585-1599

Publisher

SPRINGER WIEN
DOI: 10.1007/s00704-022-04342-8

Keywords

Rainfall; Climatology; Trends; Central America; Caribbean

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Rainfall in the Moist Tropical Caribbean Region (MTCR) in Costa Rica shows seasonal and spatial variability, with a concentration of rainfall in the quarters of June-August and December-February. Agriculture in this region is highly vulnerable to climate changes, but the climate in the area has been poorly studied. This research fills the knowledge gap by analyzing rainfall data from weather stations and providing information on the seasonality, variability, and trends of rainfall in the region.
Rainfall in the Moist Tropical Caribbean Region (MTCR) in Costa Rica occurs practically throughout the year, with the quarters June-August (JJA) and December-February (DJF) concentrating over 70% of annual rainfall. Contrarily, in March-April and September-October, it rains below 100 mm per month. This seasonal rainfall behavior makes the region ideal for producing bananas (Musa spp.) and pineapple (Ananas comosus) for export (10% and 8% of total exports in 2021, respectively). A national-scale study determined that agriculture in the MTCR is one of the most vulnerable sectors to climate changes. However, the climate in this region has been poorly studied so far. This research analyzed the spatial and temporal variability of annual, monthly, and seasonal (DJF, JJA, SO) rainfall in the MTCR and how they change in the study period based on quality-checked series of daily rainfall from 28 weather stations in two periods: 1985-2009 and 1997-2019. The results show that rainfall regimes in the region are variable in space and throughout the year, with peaks occurring close to the mountain range and minimum values close to the coast. Trends were statistically significant in the period 1985-2009 with a predominance of significant positive trends in DJF and significant negative trends in SO. No significant trends (positive or negative) were observed in the period 1997-2019. JJA rainfall has uneven regional distribution and presents a positive and significant trend in the mountain region. This paper contributes to filling the knowledge gap in rainfall seasonality, variability, and trends in a region where banana and pineapple commercial plantations are fundamental to the country's economy thus providing information to decision-making in the agri-food sector to reduce the negative impacts of changing rainfall regimes.

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