Full Name: Mekonnen Adnew Degefu
Specialization: Environmental and Natural Resources Management
Academic Rank: Associate Professor
Department: Geography and Environmental Studies
Phone Number: +251911349728
Email: mekonnenadnew@yahoo.com
List of publication and ORCID:
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6316-7543
Assen, YM., Kura, AL., Gella, A., Yesuph, AY. and Degefu, MA. 2026. Assessing Smallholders livelihood vulnerability to Climate change in the Konso Cultural Landscape World Heritage Site. Discover Applied Sciences. Accepted.
Assen, YM., Kura, AL., Degefu, MA., Gella, A. and Yesuph, AY. 2025. Detection and characterization of meteorological drought and its impacts in the UNESCO designated world heritage site of Konso Cultural Landscape, southern Ethiopia. Discover Environment 3: 286. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44274-025-00486-2.
Bewket, W., Tibebe, D., Teferi, E. and Degefu, MA. 2024. Changes in mean and extreme rainfall indices over a problemscape in central Ethiopia. Environmental Challenges 15: 100883. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envc.2024.100883.
Degefu, MA., Tibebe, D. and Bewket, W. 2023. Clustering Climate Zones for Targeting Green Water Management Technologies in Ethiopia. Research Evidence for Policy. Water and Land Resource Centre, Addis Ababa University (WLRC, AAU): Addis Ababa.
Degefu, MA. and Bewket, W. 2023. Performance variations of global precipitation products in detecting drought episodes in three wet seasons in Ethiopia: Part II—statistical analysis. Meteorological Applications 30: e2154. https://doi.org/10.1002/met.2154.
Tibebe, D., Degefu, MA., Bewket, W., Teferi, E., O’Donnell, G. and Walsh, C. 2023. Homogenous Climatic Regions for Targeting Green Water Management Technologies in the Abbay Basin, Ethiopia. Climate 11: 212. https://doi.org/10.3390/cli11100212.
Degefu, MA. and Bewket, W. 2023. Drought monitoring performance of global precipitation products in three wet seasons in Ethiopia: Part I—Quasi-objective examination. Meteorological Applications 30: e2143. https://doi.org/10.1002/met.2143.
Degefu, MA., Tibebe, D. and Bewket, W. 2023. Clustering Climate Zones for Targeting Green Water Management Technologies in Ethiopia. Research Evidence for Policy. Water and Land Resource Centre, Addis Ababa University (WLRC, AAU): Addis Ababa.
Degefu, MA., Assen, M., Few, R. and Tebboth, M. 2022. Performance of management interventions to the impacts of Prosopis juliflora in arid and semiarid regions of the middle Awash Valley, Ethiopia. Globl Journal of Agricultural Innovation, Research and Development 9: 35-53. https://doi.org/10.15377/2409-9813.2022.09.4.
Degefu, MA., Bewket, W. and Amha, Y. 2022. Evaluating performance of 20 global and quasi-global precipitation products in representing drought events in Ethiopia: Visual analysis. Weather and Climate Extreme 35: 100416. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wace.2022.100416.
Degefu, MA., Tadesse, Y. and Bewket, W. 2022. Spatio-temporal variability and trends of drought episode in southeastern Ethiopia. Physical Geography. 43:5, 534-561. https://doi:10.1080/02723646.2021.1930654.
Degefu, MA., Tadesse, Y. and Bewket, W. 2021. Observed changes in rainfall amount and extreme events in southeastern Ethiopia, 1955–2015. Theoretical and Applied Climatology 144: 967–983. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-021-03573-5.
Tebbotha, MGL., Few, R., Assen, M. and Degefu, MA. 2020. Valuing local perspectives on invasive species management: Moving beyond the ecosystem service-disservice dichotomy. Ecosystem Services 42:101068. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2020.101068.
Siraw, Z., Bewket, W. and Degefu, MA. 2018. Assessment of livelihood benefits of community-based watershed development in northwestern highlands of Ethiopia. International Journal of River Basin Management 18: 395-405. https://doi.org/10.1080/15715124.2018.1505733.
Siraw, Z., Bewket W. and Degefu, MA. 2019. Effects of community-based watershed development on landscape greenness and vegetation cover and the implications in the northwestern highlands of Ethiopia. Earth Systems and Environment 4: 245–256. https://doi:10.1007/s41748-019-00127-8.
Degefu, MA., Assen, M., Satyal, P. and Budds, J. 2019. Villagisation and water resource in the Middle Awash Valley of Ethiopia: Implications for climate change adaptation. Climate and Development 12: 899-910. https://doi:10.1080/17565529.2019.1701973.
Degefu, MA., Alamirew, T., Zeleke, G. and Bewket, W. 2019. Detection of trends in hydrological extremes for Ethiopian watersheds. Regional Environmental Change 19:1923–1933. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-019-01510-x.
Siraw, Z., Degefu, MA. and Bewket W. 2018. The role of community-based watershed development in reducing farmers’ vulnerability to climate change and variability in the northwesternhighlands of Ethiopia. Local Environment 23: 1190-1206. https://doi:10.1080/13549839.2018.1541344.
Degefu, MA., Assen, M., McGahey, D. 2018. Climate variability and impact in ASSAR’s East African region. CARIAA-ASSAR Working Paper. International Development Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada and UK Aid, London, United Kingdom. Available online at: www.assar.uct.ac.za.
Tebboth, MGL., Assen, M., Degefu, MA., Few, R. 2019. Addressing the issue of Prosopis juliflora in Ethiopia. CARIAA-ASSAR Working Paper. International Development Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada and UK Aid, London, United Kingdom. Available online at: www.assar.uct.ac.za.
Siraw, Z., Bewket W. and Degefu, MA. 2018. Effects of community-based watershed development on soil properties in the northwestern highlands of Ethiopia. Malaysian Journal of Soil Science 22: 19-33.
Degefu, MA. and Bewket W. 2017. Trends in extreme hydrological variables and teleconnections with large scale climate signals for Omo-Ghibe River Basin, Ethiopia. Environmental Assessment and Monitoring 189: 142. https://doi:10.1007/s10661-017-5862-1.
Degefu, MA., Rowell, D. and Bewket, W. 2017. Teleconnections between Ethiopian rainfall variability and global SSTs: Observations and methods for model evaluation. Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics 129: 173-186. https://doi:10.1007/s00703-016-0466-9.
Few, R., Satya, P., McGahey, D., Leav, J., Budds, J., Assen, M., Camfield, L., Loubser, D., Degefu, MA. and Bewket, W. 2015. Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change in Semi-Arid Areas in East Africa. ASSAR Working Paper, ASSAR PMU, South Africa, 111 pp.
Bewket, W., Gebrehiwot, SG., Ayana, M., Degefu, MA. and Arega, T. 2015. Climate change vulnerability, impacts and adaptation in the water resource sector of Ethiopia. EAS Working Paper, Ethiopian Academy of Science, Ethiopia, 46 pp.
Degefu, MA. and Bewket, W. 2015. Trends and spatial patterns of drought incidence in the Omo-Ghibe River Basin, Ethiopia. Geografiska Annaler: Series A, Physical Geography 97: 395–414. https://doi:10.1111/geoa.12080.
Degefu, MA. Bewket, W. 2014a. Variability and trends in rainfall amount and extreme event indices in the Omo-Ghibe River Basin, Ethiopia. Regional Environmental Change 14: 799–810. https://doi:10.1007/s10113-013-0538-z.
Degefu, MA., Asfaw. B. 2006. Flood hazard assessment in the Ghibe- Omo basin: The case of 2006. Climate Change and Environmental Degradation, Report on the 2006 Flood Disaster in Ethiopia. Forum for Environment, Ethiopia between the Sharp Scissors: Ensermu Kelbesa (Ed.).
Grant projects:
2023: Artificial Intelligence for Development Africa Programme, funded by Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA)
2019: CR4D postdoctoral research grant (Agreement no. CR4D-19-19), “Multiple datasets and drought-indices for supporting the mitigation of and adaptation to drought in Ethiopia”
2015: ACCFP Postdoctoral Climate Science Fellowship from University of Dar Salam, Tanzania, “Impacts of climate change on extreme hydrological events in Ethiopia”
2014: Research grant from International Foundation for Science (IFS), (Agreement no. w/5101-1), “Detection of trends in extreme hydrological events for Ethiopian Rivers”
2013: Ph.D Research grant from Innovative Application of ICTs in Addressing Water-related Impacts of Climate Change University of Nairobi-IDRC Research, 2013-2014
2012: Ph.D Climate Science Fellowship from African Climate Change Fellowship Program (ACCFP), University of Dar Salam, Tanzania, 2012
2011: Fellowship award from the UK DFID-Met Office Hadley Centre Climate Science Research Partnership (CSRP), (Agreement no. L0830)
2011: Ph.D Research grant from Livestock-Climate Change Collaborative Research Support Program, Colorado State University, (Agreement no. G-9650-12)
2011: Research grant from International Foundation for Science (IFS), (Agreement no. w/5103-1), “The temporal and spatial variability and trends of drought events in the Omo-Ghibe Basin, Southwest Ethiopia”
LinkedIN Account:linkedin.com/in/mekonnen-adnew-degefu-ba871249