Variability of monthly and seasonal precipitation in Foz do Iguaçu/Paraná-Brazil: analysis of the period from 1980 to 2017

Abstract

The variability of climatic elements is a process that enables the recognition of patterns, as well as the characterization of the climate in a city and/or region. In addition to directly interfering in the way space is produced in society, these variations are important for a balance between human life and observed cycles, reducing the impacts arising from extreme events, for example. Therefore, the general objective of this article was to identify patterns and understand the distribution of precipitation in the monthly and seasonal scales in Foz do Iguaçu-Paraná-Brazil, from 1980 to 2017. The methodology consisted of a review of the scientific literature on climate scales and its importance for Geographic Climatology studies, as well as for the acquisition and statistical treatment of rainfall data. Excel and RStudio programs were used. The results obtained indicate the concentration of rainfall in the spring and summer seasons; positive rainfall deviations were more significant until the 2000s, when they became less marked in the series; the positive amplitudes of precipitation were more accentuated in the months of January and October, in the rainy period; negative amplitudes were evident in periods of drought; the absolute maximum occurred in spring and the minimum in winter; in January and October there was a better distribution of rains, that is, more days with precipitation; in July and August there were fewer days with rain; the dispersion of data was high throughout the series, demonstrating the heterogeneity of the data, however, it was more defined in the month of August, during the winter; and some expressive variations could be associated with the periods of manifestation of the ENSO phenomenon in both phases, El Niño and La Niña.