Decoding West Africa's Weather: A Surprising Guide to Monsoons, Dust, and City Smog
"Explore the hidden weather patterns of West Africa in 2016, from monsoon shifts and dust to city smog using science!"
West Africa's atmosphere is a stage for many different climate events that are closely connected, such as the West African monsoon. This monsoon is greatly affected by the contrast in pressure between the cooler waters located in the eastern tropical Atlantic Ocean and the hot Saharan heat low. This affects rainfall and weather patterns of Africa.
The Atlantic Ocean's cold tongue causes a boost in stability around the equator, leading to weaker surface winds. Furthermore, the winds pick up because the differences in sea surface temperatures grow and generate a pressure gradient that draws in wind, which causes a big atmospheric shift.
The DACCIWA project was launched in June and July 2016, and shed light on West Africa's complex interactions between weather and pollution. Instruments on the ground and in the air recorded information such as temperature, and pollution.
What Large-Scale Conditions Were in Place?
The global weather in 2016 set the scene for West Africa’s local weather patterns. Specifically, there was a Pacific La Niña, an Atlantic El Niño, and unusually warm conditions in the eastern Mediterranean. Competing influences in the Mediterranean, these large climate events made it tough to determine how much rain would occur.
- Phase 1 (June 1-21): High dust concentrations and cyclonic storms affected rainfall in coastal Guinea.
- Phase 2 (June 22-July 20): A break in the Saharan heat low occurred because of an unusual trough and cold weather patterns coming from the north, which made storms that looked like tropical disturbances happen.
- Phase 3 (July 21-26): The area experienced high westerly winds with humidity that created wet conditions and carried a lot of biomass burning pollution from Central Africa.
- Phase 4 (July 27-31): The region returned to its normal weather conditions.
Why Further Study Matters
The DACCIWA campaign highlights the complex interplay of climate factors and atmospheric conditions in West Africa. Through detailed analysis and data collection, the project advances weather research while also revealing important information regarding dust levels, biomass burning, and levels of pollution in cities.