Climate Multi-temporal Analysis with Google Earth Engine for The Rufiji Basin

This research presents an extensive multi-temporal climate analysis using the advanced capabilities of Google Earth Engine (GEE) on The Rufiji Basin. Leveraging GEE's extensive satellite imagery and computational power, this study analyses climate variables such as temperature, precipitation, and vegetation dynamics over several decades. The Rufiji Basin, a critical watershed in Tanzania, faces significant climate-related challenges that necessitate comprehensive analysis for sustainable management and policy formulation.   The research employs a series of temporal analyses to identify trends, patterns, and anomalies in the climatic data. The methodology integrates time-series analysis of satellite data, climate model outputs, and ground-based observations to understand long-term climatic changes and their impacts on the Rufiji Basin's ecosystem and hydrology. Significant findings from this study include the identification of a unimodal precipitation pattern where rainy season is only between November to May, with one maximum in January. Temperature trend is also unimodal with one maximum in October. Rainfall and temperature are drivers of water resources and vegetation changes in the basin. The analysis of vegetation indices reveals insights into land-cover changes and their relationship with climatic variables. Furthermore, the study is conducted entirely on Open-Source resources for analysis and publication.   This thesis not only contributes to the understanding of climate dynamics in the Rufiji Basin but also demonstrates the effectiveness of GEE as a tool for environmental monitoring and climate analysis. The findings provide valuable insights for policymakers, environmental managers, and local communities in developing adaptive strategies for climate resilience. The research also highlights the potential of satellite remote sensing and geospatial technologies in addressing complex environmental challenges in the context of developing countries.