EVALUATING THE INTEGRATED MULTI-SATELLITE RETRIEVAL FOR GLOBAL PRECIPITATION MEASUREMENT (IMERG) SATELLITE DATA FOR DISASTER RISK REDUCTION IN FOUR RIVER BASINS OF WEST AFRICA

Abstract

Precipitation is a crucial part of the climate system in the West Africa and has a major impact on agriculture, water resources, and economic activity. This study evaluates the Integrated Multi-satellite retrieval for global precipitation measurement (IMERG) precipitation in four river basins: Chad, Niger, Senegal, and Volta. But the difficulties in measuring precipitation accurately have led to the use of data from the IMERG satellite data from 2002 to 2022. The NASA Earth Explorer provided the data. The evaluation was conducted using the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), Coefficient of Variation (CV), and Standard Deviation (SD) techniques. The findings reveal an unequal distribution of precipitation during the studied period. According to the rainfall distribution in West Africa, the lowest rainfall was recorded in 2004 (110.74 mm in Chad), followed by Niger (706.64 mm in 2013), Senegal (131.84 mm in 2002), and the Volta basin (986.13 mm in 2013). The highest rainfall was recorded in 2012, 2022, 2010, and 2022 (400.78 mm, 1815.60 mm, 580.08 mm, and 1968.60 mm for Chad, Niger, Senegal, and Volta basins, respectively). Additional findings indicate a growing trend in each of the four river basins. The study also emphasizes the value of satellite-based precipitation data in tracking and comprehending hydrological dynamics in West Africa and suggests using IMERG data to support climate research and resource management in the area.