Batch orographic interpolation of monthly precipitation based on free-of-charge geostatistical tools

The effects of possible climate change on water resources in prescribed areas (e.g. river basins) are intensively studied in hydrology. These resources are highly dependent on precipitation totals. When focusing on long-term changes in climate variables, one has to rely on station measurements. However, hydrologists need the information on spatial distribution of precipitation over the areas. For this purpose, the spatial interpolation techniques must be employed. In Czechia, where the addition of elevation co-variables proved to be a good choice, several GIS tools exist that are able to produce time series necessary for climate change analyses. Nevertheless, these tools are exclusively based on commercial software and there is a lack of free-of-charge tools that could be used by everyone. Here, selected free-of-charge geostatistical tools were utilized in order to produce monthly precipitation time series representing six river basins in the Ore Mountains located in NW Bohemia, Czechia and SE Saxony, Germany. The produced series span from January 1961 to December 2012. Rain-gauge data from both Czechia and Germany were used. The universal kriging technique was employed where a multiple linear regression (based on elevation and coordinates) residuals were interpolated. The final time series seem to be homogeneous