DECREASING PRECIPITATION TREND IN THE MARATHON AREA, GREECE

The long-term precipitation series (1926-1990)from a 10 rain gauge station network in the Marathon area, Greece, have been statistically examined for trends. Application of the Mann-Kendall rank statistic test to the annual time series revealed a significant decreasing trend in the precipitation over the area. Similar decreasing trends are observed in neighbouring regions to the Marathon area (Athens basin and Beotia). The differences in precipitation trends during the transitional seasons among the three areas seem to be caused by the urbanization process. The seasonal variations and the periodicities of precipitation in the study areas also are examined. Finally, the spatial distribution of precipitation and the relation of precipitation amounts to the station height in the Marathon area are discussed.