[Figure 8]
The MLRA of rainfall for each 30-year climatological window (Fig. 4)
show that there are significant differences (F = 442. 7;p = 0. 000) in observed trends during these periods.
However, multi-decadal (e.g., 20 years) trends based on these window
lengths were also explored as part of an overall assessment of changes
in rainfall in the basin. A further analysis on the spatial distribution
of trends in annual (Fig. 7a) and maximum (Fig. 7b) rainfall confirms
the strong increase in rainfall between 1960 and 1963 in the south.
Widespread negative trends in annual rainfall during the 1981-2000 and
2001-2013 periods around the Democratic Republic of Congo and the
Cuvette central (Fig. 7a) coincides with drought/dry episodes already
reported in the literature (Ndehedehe et al., 2019; Ndehedehe, 2019;
Zhou et al., 2014). Additionally, there is inconsistency in the
distribution of spatial trends in annual and maximum rainfall (Figs.
7a-b). For example, during the 1981-2000 period there was a widespread
decrease in annual rainfall (Fig. 7a) compared to the distribution of
trends in maximum annual rainfall in the central Congo basin area (Fig.
7b).