Relative Comparison of Resultant Effects of Global Warming on Variability of Rainfall and Water Resources in Saki and Osogbo, Western Nigeria.

Abstract

In recent times, there has been mounting concern by individual and international bodies over global warming. The rapid rate at which Carbon-monoxide (Co₎ and other anthropogenic gases are generated have been projected to create major global environmental changes, including sea level rises. It is now a common knowledge that climate and weather are non-stationary stochastic processes, consequently climatic and hydrological variables have continued to exhibit much variability and change. Moreover, since water resources in general and river charges in particular, are of a stochastic nature, low water (drought) and high water (flood) episodes of different duration and depths are unavoidable now and in future under all scenarios of climate. This study is therefore concerned about the dig-dipping into the issues of rainfall variability as caused by the global warming effects. Secondary data were used in this research; in which surface temperature over time were collected to represent global warming effects and also rainfall data over time were collected from a related work in the study area; Saki and Osogbo. Analyses were carried out using inferential statistics such as: Difference Means test would be used to determine the wetter in the areas and Coefficient of Variation would determine the variability of the rainfall in the areas. Correlation Coefficient was used to test whether rainfall variability is significant in the areas and test of randomness was used to determine the degree of occurrence of rainfall in both areas and comparisons were made between the two areas. Conclusion; This study concluded that effect of global warming on rainfall was much more significant in Osogbo than Saki, but both are humid area, as the variability of rainfall there is very low. It was affirmed that water resources in Osogbo is higher both in quantity and quality than that of Saki.