Rainfall variability in the Upper and Middle Cheliff watershed
Algeria, an arid to semi-arid country, is highly vulnerable to climate change. Rainfall is limited in the coastal zone, uncertain or even non-existent towards the South, and is particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of global warming. There is a downward trend in rainfall since 1975 and the rising phase is not yet ready to begin.The purpose of this work is to analyze the interannual variability of the rainfall time series of 17 stations in the Upper and Middle Cheliff watershed over the period 1972/73-2012/13 (42 years). The seven-year moving average method and non parametric statistical tests (Pettitt and Mann-Kendall) have been used to analyze these time series. This analysis shows the existence of a succession of wet (1972/73 to 1979/80) and dry (1979/80 to 2005/06) sequences common to 14 stations. The rupture date detected for the majority of the stations is between the end of the 1970s and the middle of the 1980s. Indeed, 6 stations out of 17 have a regular rainfall pattern, while the remaining 11 stations have a rainfall deficit that fluctuates between 16% and 29%.