Mapping Climate Parameters over the Territory of Botswana Using GMT and Gridded Surface Data from TerraClimate

This articles presents a new series of maps showing the climate and environmental variability Botswana. Situated in southern Africa, Botswana has an arid to semi-arid climate, which significantly varies its different regions: Kalahari Desert, Makgadikgadi Pan Okavango Delta. While desert regions are prone droughts periods extreme heat during summer months, other experience heavy downpours, as well episodic unpredictable rains that affect agricultural activities. Such climatic variations social economic aspects life study aimed visualise non-linear correlations between topography setting at country’s scale. Variables included T °C min, max, precipitation, soil moisture, evapotranspiration (PET AET), downward surface shortwave radiation, vapour pressure deficit (VPD), wind speed Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI). The dataset was taken from TerraClimate source GEBCO for topographic mapping. mapping approach use Generic Mapping Tools (GMT), console-based scripting toolset, enables method automated Several GMT modules were used derive set parameters data supplemented with adjusted cartographic elements inspected by Geospatial Data Abstraction Library (GDAL). PDSI 2018 shows stepwise variation seven areas drought: (1) −3.7 −2.2. (extreme); (2) −2.2 −0.8 (strong, Kalahari); (3) 0.7 (significant, central Kalahari; (4) 2.1 (moderate); (5) 3.5 (lesser); (6) 4.9 (low); (7) 6.4 (least). VPD general trend towards south-western region (Kalahari up 3.3), while it is lower north-eastern (up 1.4). Other values vary respectively, demonstrated presented 12 inventory