The Arabian Peninsula is one of the world’s driest places, hence understanding how climate change may alter local rainfall patterns is critical. According to data comparisons, changes in winter rainfall over the peninsula throughout the 1980s have now been connected to an ocean-atmospheric phenomenon affecting sea surface temperatures in the central Pacific and westerly jet streams arriving from North Africa.
Warmer waters in the central tropical Pacific in recent decades have led to shifts in atmospheric wind jets, bringing more winter rainfall to the east..
Researchers analyze trends to combat discomfort caused by outdoor heat
Jun 9 2021
Rising temperatures are increasingly affecting the quality of life in many regions, setting new challenges for architects, urban planners and healthcare systems. Researchers at KAUST have analyzed discomfort due to outdoor heat across Saudi Arabia and neighboring regions to help understand and combat the problem.
Living conditions in the Kingdom have been particularly affected by the changing climate.
Hari Dasari, Study First Author, King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST)
He also emphasizes the unique challenges facing the Hajj pilgrimage visits by several million people each year. Between 2014 and 2018, the Hajj occurred in summer months when the average temperature often exceeded 40 degrees Celsius with 80 percent humidity.