Spatial and Temporal Rainfall Variability in Critical Periods for Banana Plantations in the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica.

OROZCO-MONTOYA, R. Y PENALBA, O.

San Juan

Congreso; Congreso American Geophysical Union (AGU); 2022

AGU

Rainfall in the Moist Tropical Caribbean region (MTCR) in Costa Rica occurs practically throughout the year (Alfaro, 2002; Maldonado et al., 2016; Taylor and Alfaro, 2005), with the quarters June–August (JJA) and December–February (DJF) concentrating over 70% of annual rainfall. On the other hand, in March–April and September–October, there are reductions in rainfall (range between 100 and 300mm per month) (Alfaro, 2002; Alfaro and Hidalgo, 2021; Sáenz and Amador, 2016).The region produces bananas (Musa spp), which accounted for 10% of the country´s total exports in 2021 (PROCOMER, 2021). A national-scale study determined that agriculture in the MTCR is one of the most vulnerable sectors to climate changes (Bouroncle et al., 2015). This research analyzes the spatial and temporal variability rainfall in two wet periods (June-August -JJA- and December-February -DJF-) and two periods with low rainfall (March-April -MA- and September-October -SO-) in the MTCR, with a view toits application to banana plantations.