Detection of trends in extreme rainfall

A modification in the water cycle is one of the most noticeable consequences of the global atmospheric warming. Precipitation is a key point in the process and the distribution of extreme rainfall is particularly important because it has the potential to impact on water management, soil erosion and flash floods. This study presents an analysis of extreme daily rainfall over a region of southern Italy. A set of daily homogeneous precipitation series relative to the period 1916-2006 has been used in this study, and nine daily rainfall indices have been considered. Results of the trend analysis through the Mann-Kendall test showed a prevailing decreasing trend of the various indices.