Space and time variability of the rainfall in Santa Catarina

Abstract

The aim of this study is to characterize the space and time variability of rainfall in the Santa Catarina state, searching for trends and cycles in time series. We analyzed 127 rainfall time series, distributing them spatially and identified six regions with homogeneous behavior. From these, representing rainfall time series were selected, which were submitted to Mann Kendall’s and Sen’s tests (trends analyze) and Wavelet Analysis to identify cycles. We found a east-west space division, with rainfall distributions different both in intensity and in relation to the rainy season. The time series analyzed, in general, no significant trend were identified. As for the temporal behavior, it was possible to verify cycles with temporal multiscale coincident with climatic events such as El Niño and Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO).