Overview of Study Area - Historical Land Use/Land Cover Classification Using Remote Sensing - page 42

Fig. 3.2 Study area and the irrigation projects in Syria (Source MAAR 2008 )

(Hillel 1994 cited in Kibaroglu 2002 ). The yearly standard temperature of the
whole ERB is 18 C. It is about 5 C in January, although it can decline to -11 C
in the coldest areas in the basin. This yearly standard temperature in July reaches
31 C, although it can raise to 37 C in the hottest areas (Hillel 1994 cited in
Kibaroglu 2002 and FAO 2009 ). In the Syrian part of ERB, the winter season is
usually cool (5-10 C) and rainy, and the summer is warm (30-45 C) and almost
totally devoid of precipitation. The average annual air temperature increases from
north to south, and differs between 18 C in Jarablous and 20 C in Al-Bou-
Kamal, where the dryness becomes more emphasized. The average monthly pre-
cipitation increases—from October to May—from south at Al-Bou-Kamal with
5-30 mm to north at Jarablous with 20-60 mm. The average annual precipitation
increases over the year from south at Al-Bou-Kamal with about 130 mm, over Dir
Azzour with about 160 mm, to the north at Jarablous with about 350 mm. The
average yearly precipitation value over the whole ERB in Syria is around 240 mm.
The average yearly value of the relative air humidity differs between 56 %
(Jarablous) and 47 % (Dir Azzour), and declines to less than 44 % (Al-Bou-
Kamal), the lowest recorded value in Syria. The highest values of average monthly
relative humidity (60-70) % are commonly observed during the coolest time
period (i.e., December to January), while the lowest 25-30 % happen in the