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Enso, rainfall, temperature and NDVI fluctuations in the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem

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Title Enso, rainfall, temperature and NDVI fluctuations in the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem
 
Creator Ogutu, J.
Piepho, Hans-Peter
Dublin, H.T.
Bhola, N.
Reid, Robin S.
 
Subject CLIMATE
WILDLIFE
 
Description Understanding long-term climatic variability is basic to
wise management and conservation of biodiversity. We
analysed temporal variations in the local rainfall, temperature,
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index and the
hemispheric El Nin˜ o-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), using
the Southern Oscillation Index and how they co varied in
the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem of Kenya and Tanzania.
Local rainfall showed a striking temporal variability and
an evident 5-year quasi-periodicity in the ecosystem.
Severe droughts were a recurrent ⁄ persistent feature of the
ecosystem but extreme floods were relatively infrequent.
The timings of droughts and floods coincided with strong
episodes in the activities of the ENSO phenomenon.
Above-average rainfall often accompanied cold ENSO
episodes and below-average rainfall warm ENSO events,
contrary to past generalizations suggesting that warm
ENSO events are only associated with above-average
rainfall whereas cold ENSO events with below-average
rainfall in equatorial East Africa. Both minimum and
maximum temperatures were below-normal during cold
ENSO episodes and above-normal during warm ENSO
events. Rising temperatures and declining rainfall
throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, with unprecedently
prolonged and strong ENSO episodes, engendered
progressive habitat desiccation and reduction in vegetation
production in the ecosystem. This exacerbated the
debilitating effects of adverse weather on local plant and
animal communities, resulting in high mortalities of
ungulates.
 
Date 2010-05-28T19:23:30Z
2010-05-28T19:23:30Z
2008
 
Type Journal Article
 
Identifier Ogutu, J.O.; Piepho, H.-P.; Dublin, H.T.; Bhola, N.; Reid, R.S. 2008. Enso, rainfall, temperature and NDVI fluctuations in the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem. African Journal of Ecology. 46(2): 132-143
https://hdl.handle.net/10568/1746
 
Language en
 
Source African Journal of Ecology