Comprehensive study of the wet and dry spells and their extremes in the Mediterranean climate basin Northern Tunisia

Abstract In agriculture, the characterization of dry spells is essential whether it is to calibrate the water needs of crops or the flow rates of rivers. This study seeks to develop a discretization of dry and wet spells on a monthly scale while evaluating the risk of extremes using the renewal wet-dry spell model. This model consists of defining the wet spell according a negligible precipitation threshold. The structure of the model is that all parameters of the climate cycle, including its length, are random variables. To study the trend of the parameters we use the Mann–Kendall test, while the magnitude is evaluated by the Sen’s estimation method. The approach is applied to Ichkeul Lake basin in northern Tunisia to demonstrate its capacity. This region is of great agricultural and water importance, although it holds six large dams. The results show that the duration of the dry and wet spells reach’s, respectively, 49 days and 17 days. The maximum dry spell was 49 days in 1982. The Mann–Kendall test revealed three stations with significant positive trend of the monthly extreme dry spell length (at March) located in south and east of the basin. The trend analysis of the seasonal rainfall number showed one station with significant negative trend in east and one station with significant negative trend in the center of the basin. Results indicated that no significant changes in the start and end of rainy season have occurred over the past years. But a great relation with a subsequent length exists. The results of this research assist farmers and managers in establishing drought management plans. It allow, among other things, to calibrate simulation models for a more realistic management of water reservoirs. It also makes it possible to plan irrigations on a more different basis from that of observations made at regular time intervals. Highlights We analyze the trends of the drought in Ichkeul lake basin, Northern Tunisia, characterized from the daily rainfall data of five stations. The alternating wet-dry spell model and a precipitation threshold value are used to define the rainfall/dry event. The Mann–Kendall test and the Sen’s estimation method were used to analyze the possible trends and the magnitude of variables analyzed, respectively. The results show an increasing trend of maximum monthly dry spells. No significant changes in the start and end of rainy season have occurred over the past years. These analyses provide useful information for science and society and make it possible to minimize unexpected damage due to long dry spells and to have effective and efficient planning for various stakeholders.