Global Water Balance Atlas with Mean Monthly Climate Grids

A 1997 digital atlas integrates precipitation, temperature, radiation, runoff, and political boundaries data for global water resource analysis. It was developed by SCIOPS for FAO/UNESCO projects, initially focusing on Africa's Niger Basin. The atlas provides mean monthly and annual values on a 0.5-degree global grid.

Use Cases

• Model regional water balance using precipitation, temperature, and radiation grids for the Niger Basin.
• Analyze mean monthly runoff data from 160 stations for basin-scale hydrological assessments.
• Use political boundaries shapefiles to delimit and aggregate climate data for specific countries or regions.
• Compare mean annual precipitation and temperature values across the 259,200-cell global grid for climate studies.
• Apply the methodology from the Niger Basin paper to other regions using the provided global data files.

Strengths

• Global coverage on a 0.5-degree grid comprising 259,200 cells.
• Includes five key data types: precipitation, temperature, radiation, runoff, and political boundaries.
• Provides both mean monthly and mean annual values for climate variables.
• Methodology documented via a 1997 ESRI User Conference paper and sample exercises.

Limitations

• Data is temporally stale, last updated in 1991.
• Runoff data is limited to 160 stations, not a continuous grid.
• Designed for use with ArcView 3.0 GIS, a legacy software.
• Primary focus and sample exercises are on Africa, potentially limiting direct applications elsewhere.

Provenance

Source

SCIOPs, for FAO/UNESCO Water Balance of Africa project.

Collection Method

Compiled from global datasets and project work on the Niger, Souss, Urubamba, and Aral Sea basins.

Geography

Global, with 0.5-degree grid covering land and oceans.