Scale invariance properties of rainfall in AMMA-CATCH observatory (Benin, West Africa)

Abstract

Data from thirty stations in AMMA-CATCH observatory (northern Benin) were used during the period from 1999 to 2012. The relationship between the moments and the durations could be described by the power-form functions. It indicated the scaling behavior of the moments with durations. The properties of rainfall followed the hypothesis of simple scaling process. Furthermore, the scaling properties of the rainfall in time series were simple scaling and were composed of two different regimes for two distinct intervals. The first from 5min to 45min and from 45min to one day durations for Koko, Dogue, Beterou, Wewe, Sarmanga, Pelebina, Momongou and Parakou and finally from 5min to one hour and from one hour to one day durations for the other study stations. The scaling exponents were estimated in all the stations and checks: 0.5 <η< 1. The possibility of using wide sense simple scaling in northern Benin has been demonstrated.