Assessing Spatio-Temporal Precipitation Variations in the Middle East (1981-2023) Using Remote Sensing

The Middle East, characterized by dry climates and water scarcity, has seen significant changes in precipitation patterns over the past few decades. This research investigated the temporal and spatial changes of precipitation during the statistical period of 1981-2023 in the Middle East using CHIRPS satellite images. Analysis of average monthly rainfall in the Middle East showed that January, January, March, and December were the wettest months, and June, July, August, and September were the driest months. An upward trend of rainfall was observed in all months except February. This trend was especially significant in June, September, July, and August. The months of January, April, May, and June showed the highest annual increase in rainfall. Also, based on the results of seasonal rainfall, the winter season had the highest average rainfall, followed by spring and summer, which showed the highest slope of rainfall changes. Based on the results of the visual trend of precipitation in summer, regions such as southeast and eastern Anatolia in Turkey, Basra, and various regions of Iraq and Iran experienced a significant decrease in rainfall with a trend of approximately 0.25 mm. Likewise, during the fall, this trend continued in the northern regions of Iran, Yemen, Oman, and parts of Türkiye, Iraq, Egypt, and Syria. Parts of Lebanon and northern Iraq have experienced a significant decrease in some places during the winter season. A part of the north of Matrouh province in Egypt, southwest (Khuzestan), and north (Mazandaran, Gilan, and Ardabil) of Iran have experienced an increase in rainfall up to .5 mm in the winter season. In general, according to the picture of the annual changes in precipitation, the northern half of the Middle East in the countries of Iran, Turkey, Syria, and northern Iraq has seen a decrease in precipitation, and the southern half of the Middle East and northern Turkey in the Black Sea geographical region have seen an increase in precipitation over 43 years. have experienced in the past.