Figure 5: Spatial and temporal variability in the Congo basin rainfall (mm). The average spatial distributions of rainfall (top panels) and their corresponding temporal patterns (bottom panels) are indicated for different climatological periods (30-year interval). (a) Changes in the Congo precipitation during the (a) 1901-1930 and (b) 1931-1960. Spatial (EOF) and temporal (PCs) patterns are jointly interpreted. The total variability accounted for by each orthogonal modes of rainfall are expressed in percentages while the y-axes of the PCs are in standardised units.