Projections of Extreme Precipitation Events under Climate Change Scenarios in Mahaweli River Basin of Sri Lanka

Abstract

The future changes in rainfall pattern in the Mahaweli River Basin of Sri Lanka using three general circulation models under two representative concentration pathways were assessed. The projections showed that consecutive dry days will decrease, consecutive wet days and annual total precipitation in wet days will increase, the monthly maximum consecutive five-day precipitation will generally decrease, and annual rainfall will increase except for the first inter-monsoon. The projections of the heavy rainfall varied according to the time periods and climate zones. The present results can help policy makers to optimize the use of water resources considering future climate change.