LONG TERM TRENDS OF ANNUAL AND MONTHLY PRECIPITATION IN JAPAN

• Published in: Journal of the American Water Resources Association Vol. 39; no. 3; pp. 587 - 596
• Main Authors: Yue, Sheng, Hashino, Michio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.06.2003; American Water Resources Association
• Subjects: bootstrap test; climate change; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Exact sciences and technology; Hydrology; Hydrology. Hydrogeology; Mann-Kendall test; precipitation trend analysis; statistical analysis; Far East; Japan; monthly variations; temporal distribution; cross-correlation; climate modification; atmospheric precipitation; Asia; meteorology; statistical analysis
• ISSN: 1093-474X; 1752-1688
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2003.tb03677.x

Precipitation data collected over approximately 100 yr at 22 meteorological observation stations in Japan were examined to assess possible long-term trends in annual and monthly precipitation series. The Mann Kendall test was applied to assess the statistical significant of a trend at a site, and the field significance of trends over a region was evaluated by the bootstrap test. The country was divided into four climatic regions. In Regions III and IV, annual precipitation decreased significantly, indicating that water shortage problems could become more severe should the conditions persist. In Region II, annual precipitation did not decline significantly, but monthly precipitation decreased significantly in April, May, September, October, and December.