Among the precipitations, the Northeast precipitation is caused by occluding cyclones above the Sea of Japan, while the East border precipitation is induced by the same cyclone but formed at sea level. The Southwest precipitation is wrought by the frontal effects between southwest moist wind and the northwest dry wind. The West to east precipitation is due to the change of pressure pattern inside the Region, and the Inland precipitation is induced by ground breezes.Comparing to other typical precipitations through the 30 winters, the Coastal precipitation in January 2017 is not seen, while the West to east precipitation and Inland precipitation are additional types in January 2018. The former can also be contributed to existence of cyclones above the ocean surface because ofits location, and the latter is mainly due to the pressure change and local breezes of the Region.
The high amount of monthly total precipitation in January 2018resulted from a relatively high precipitation frequency, rather than an augmentation of precipitation intensities. Thus, the high precipitation amount in January 2018 is caused by active atmospheric circulation above the Region. For the Region in January 2018, the maximum of the monthly total precipitation is 4 times more than that in other winter months for the recent 30 years. The highest value of precipitation mainly concentrates along the mountainous areas.For these precipitations, there are five major types of precipitations named after their locations: Northeast precipitation, Southwest precipitation, West to east precipitation, East border precipitation and Inland precipitation. It is found that a continuous moderate precipitation phenomenon is dominant in the Region in January 2018, instead of increase in either precipitation intensities or number of intense precipitations. Such precipitations are mainly caused by cyclones in the vicinity of the studied Region.
The Northeast precipitation and the East border precipitation are both induced by cyclones above the Sea of Japan, but the former is caused by an occluding cyclone while the latter by a small cyclone formed at sea level. The Southwest precipitation is frontal precipitation between southwest moist wind and northwest dry wind. The West to east precipitation is generated by the change of atmospheric pressure above the Region, and the Inland precipitation is risen by ground breezes.For future work, the causes of such cyclone frequent weather in the Region should be exploited from a global perspective. More work should be investigated in the relationship between the cyclone occurrence frequency in the Region and the Indian Ocean Dipole, the El Nino Southern Oscillation and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. Climate change and other global drivers of socio-economic, energy, global trade, resources and demographic changes are set to affect present and future human development including the vulnerable areas such as southern Africa region.
Faced with imperatives of increased food production and poverty alleviation, present day conditions call for high vigilance in developing and preserving the raw materials for food production, specifically through land and water management. Faced with imperatives of increased food production and poverty alleviation, present day conditions call for high vigilance in developing and preserving the raw materials for food production: land and water. Agricultural water holds significant scope for addressing climate change vulnerability and adaptation needs as well as water and food insecurity in the region.The observed human-induced changes to climate pose a threat to food security the world over and Southern Africa is no exception. Climate model studies show that the average temperature of earth’s surface is expected to increase by 3˚C over the next century, if greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise at the current rates. This has a negative impact on crop yields and food security in the Southern African region where 60% -80% of the population is directly dependent on agriculture for their livelihoods .Crop and livestock production systems will have to change in response to the changing agro-ecological conditions.This manuscript aims at developing a set of practical approaches to agriculture in order for farmers to beresilient and adapt to the predicted climate changes.
Here, a regional framework for the implementation of climatesmart agriculture concepts is also illustrated.Also it will support investment decisions in climate change adaptation. This paper seeks to inform scientists and experts in the fields of agriculture, climate change and socio-economics to collectively build a strong base of evidence on climate change and variability impacts on rain fed cropping systems. It also tries to devise agricultural interventions and practices that enhance general resilience in the quest to overcome climatic shocks and develop adaptation strategies.