ANALYSIS OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF METEOROLOGICAL DROUGHT ON AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITIES IN STEPPE ZONE (ALGERIA)Malika Bentchakal, Abderrahmane Medjerab, Brahim Chibane and Salah Eddine Ali RahmaniAbstract The effects of climate change on the water cycle are harmful. Drought prediction is a complicated process in hydro-climatic studies. Water demand for Agricultural activities in the last decade has increased however; agriculture yield becomes more dependent to rainfall. To identify parameters whose control drought and its impact on irrigation we launched a study in Djelfa watershed to characterize the meteorological drought in semi-arid zone by applying the standardized daily precipitation index (SPI-365). Three parameters that control the climatic regime are considered (temperature, relative humidity and precipitation) as well as other parameters (instantaneous and absolute pressure of the water vapor).This study allowed us to clarify the relationship between the SPI-365 with other atmospheric parameters. The observed results show to distinct two periods in the hydrological year, wet period that lasts 54 days and another dry period of 311 days. Which explains why, in the Djelfa watershed, soil moisture is very low, and requires continuous irrigation during these 311 days of the year. |