Abstract:
Analysis of precipitation trends is important in studying the impacts of climate change for water
resources planning and management. The present study entitled analysis of changes in
precipitation trends in four administrative divisions in the Matale District Sri Lanka by
examining the trends in monthly, annual and seasonal total rainfall of The daily rainfall data for
the period of 33 years (1981-2013) from the records of the three rain gauging stations were
analyzed using Modified Mann-Kendall Test (MKT) together with the Sen's Slope Estimator for
determination of trend and slope magnitude of monthly, seasonal and annual rainfalls. The
results indicated that there is an increasing trends for seasonal rainfall of 14.1 mm/year at
Nalanda station and 6.4 mm/year at Dewahuwa station, while a decreasing trend of 2.3 mm/year
at Dewahuwa and o 4.3 mm/year at Nalanda station. The highest annual trend of 21.3 mm/year
was noted in the Nalanda station while lowest; 9.7 mm/year in the Pelwehera station. Observed
trends indicate that increased annual rainfall could be expected in the Matale District in the
future. |
