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This project focuses on studying the weather, climate, and environment of West Africa, which are critical to human livelihoods. It aims to improve monitoring, advance the science, and strengthen international collaborations.
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The AMMA project: Studying the climate and environment of West Africa Doug Parker, University of Leeds (Coordinator, AMMA-UK) NCAS Open Day
Why West Africa? • Weather, climate and environment are critical to human livelihoods in Africa • Africa is a major part of the global climate system – a big hot continent. • Monitoring over Africa is poor, and has been deteriorating. • The science of African climate is (a) difficult and (b) less well investigated than our own latitudes. NCAS Open Day
Why West Africa? • Weather, climate and environment are critical to human livelihoods in Africa • Africa is a major part of the global climate system – a big hot continent. • Monitoring over Africa is poor, and has been deteriorating. • The science of African climate is (a) difficult and (b) less well investigated than our own latitudes. NASA-DAAC, NDVI, 20-30 Aug 2000 NCAS Open Day
Why West Africa? • Weather, climate and environment are critical to human livelihoods in Africa • Africa is a major part of the global climate system – a big hot continent. • Monitoring over Africa is poor, and has been deteriorating. • The science of African climate is (a) difficult and (b) less well investigated than our own latitudes. ECMWF, June 2004 NCAS Open Day
African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses • Afrikanske Monsun: Multidisiplinære Analyser • Afrikaanse Moesson Multidisciplinaire Analyse • Analisi Multidisciplinare per il Monsone Africano • Afrikanischer Monsun: Multidisziplinäre Analysen • Analisis Multidiciplinar de los Monzones Africanos • Analyses Multidisciplinaires de la Mousson Africaine NCAS Open Day
AMMA observations, 2004 - 2009 5 aircraft SOP3 SOP1&2 Around 800 scientists, engineers and operational specialists from 25 countries NCAS Open Day
NERC is one of the three ‘founding agencies’ of AMMA • The Met Office is also making a significant commitment NCAS Open Day
NCAS work in AMMA NCAS-Weather: Rainfall dynamics and the water cycle NCAS-Composition: Emissions and chemistry over Africa, aerosol sources and dynamics NCAS-Climate: long-term monitoring and shorter-term processes CEH: soil moisture, vegetation and remote sensing BADC and High Performance Computing Associated projects: DABEX, DODO, GERBIL, TROBIT RADAGAST, BODEX Met Office: monitoring, modelling, land surface and aerosol science FAAM and UFAM Universities: Cambridge, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester, Oxford, Reading, UCL, UEA, York NCAS Open Day
FAAM and UFAM 200km MIT radar; Earle Williams Photo and flying, Alan Foster NCAS Open Day
Some other AMMA-UK work • Climate monitoring (CEH) • Radiosondes (Leeds) • Instrumented hut (Liverpool, CEH, IRD) • Benin ground site (York) NCAS Open Day
Some other AMMA-UK work • Climate monitoring (CEH) • Radiosondes (Leeds) • Instrumented hut (Liverpool, CEH, IRD) • Benin ground site (York) NCAS Open Day
Some other AMMA-UK work • Climate monitoring (CEH) • Radiosondes (Leeds) • Instrumented hut (Liverpool, CEH, IRD) • Benin ground site (York) NCAS Open Day
Some other AMMA-UK work • Climate monitoring (CEH) • Radiosondes (Leeds) • Instrumented hut (Liverpool, CEH, IRD) • Benin ground site (York) TMS sampling equipment Julie Saxton, University of York NCAS Open Day
Some achievements • Surveys, climatology, statistics • An important database at BADC • Links between wet soil and storms • Does lightning strike the same place twice? • Emissions patterns for the forested and sandy zones of Africa • Pollution survey of Lagos FAAM ‘scoring diagram’ Jim McQuaid NCAS Open Day
Computer Modelling • Models make predictions for weather and climate • AMMA will improve the models and their use of data • Models will tell us about relationships between climate and the human environment NCAS Open Day
Knowledge transfer . • AMMA-EU includes around 20 African organisations, who are principally working in the ‘applications’ of the science: • water resources • food security • health Weather forecasting centres (including the Met Office and many African centres) are using the data in their prediction systems. NCAS Open Day
The future • Better, and rational monitoring • Advancement of the science, and application of this to operational activities. • Better links with DfID, British Council etc, to help African partners to capitalise on the progress being made. NCAS Open Day
AMMA international http://amma-international.org/ NCAS Open Day