Climatic zoning of Ghana using selected meteorological variables for the period 1976–2018

Autor: Enoch Bessah, William Amponsah, Samuel Owusu Ansah, Andrews Afrifa, Bashiru Yahaya, Cosmos Senyo Wemegah, Michael Tanu, Leonard K. Amekudzi, Wilson Agyei Agyare
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: Meteorological Applications, Vol 29, Iss 1, Pp n/a-n/a (2022)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1469-8080
1350-4827
DOI: 10.1002/met.2049
Popis: Abstract Periodic climate zoning is an essential classification of land cover to account for anthropogenic activities resulting from population increase and urbanization that affect key climate response parameters. Rainfall, relative humidity (RH), maximum (Tmax) and minimum temperature (Tmin) data from the Ghana Meteorological Agency were used to zone Ghana by adopting cluster and PCA analysis methods and verifying the groupings with the seasonal trend and Tukey Honestly Significance Difference (HSD) analysis. The cluster analysis grouped the synoptic stations into four major homogenous clusters while the PCA distributed them into three sub‐divisions with reference to 1976–2018. Rainfall, RH, Tmax and Tmin were characterized by five, three, two and three factors with factor loadings in the range of 0.71–0.78, 0.53–0.70, 0.54–0.74 and 0.50–0.72, respectively. HSD found transition stations like Bole and Kete Krachi in cluster 1 and 2 to have no significant difference with cluster 1, while Wenchi, Sunyani, Sefwi Bekwai and Koforidua in cluster 2 had no significant difference with cluster 3. Accra station which was classified in cluster 3 showed the seasonal pattern of cluster 4 and was confirmed by HSD to belong in cluster 4. Therefore, Ghana‐based on‐point analysis is climatically grouped into Savannah (11°0′0′′N–7°46′11′′N), Forest (from 7°46′11′′N to the coast) and Coastal (about 30 km from the Gulf of Guinea coastline) based on the assessed parameters. These findings are vital for planners and decision‐makers especially for industries that depend on weather and climatic conditions for their activities.
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