Impact of short-term climate change on precipitation ranges in arid and semi- arid basins Case Study: Northeast Libya - Wadi al-Lulb Basin

Climate change is one of the most prominent environmental issues of global and local concern, with impacts varying between regions. Dry and semi-arid areas, and among the important effects caused by short-term climate change is the change in precipitation patterns. In this context, the study relied on some appropriate quantitative statistical methods that explain the characteristics of rain, with the use of geographic information systems in spatial analysis during the time period from 1961 to 2021. The study included three stations representing different locations within the study area. The results showed that there was a decrease in the number of rain periods and an increase in annual droughts, and a significant increase in the length and intensity of droughts, in addition to the change in the pattern of precipitation, as precipitation became less regular and more extreme, which contributed to forming a large proportion of the total annual. These short-term changes indicate that there are potential environmental and economic impacts, including increased risks of flooding, soil erosion, and degradation of vegetation cover, as well as destruction of agricultural crops. This is attributed to prolonged droughts with intense precipitation occurring over short periods of time, hindering recharge operations of surface and underground water sources, which depend mainly on moderate and continuous precipitation. Especially in the arid and semi-arid areas of North Africa that are at risk of drought and desertification.