Analysis of low-level atmospheric moisture transport associated with the West African monsoon

Journal of Climate

Volumn 28, Issue 11, 2015, Pages 4414-4430

  Lélé, M Issa ^a   Leslie, Lance M ^a   Lamb, Peter J ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA   (United States)

Author keywords

Climate variability; Interannual variability; Moisture moisture budget; Seasonal cycle; Seasonal variability; Water vapor

Indexed keywords

ATMOSPHERIC MOVEMENTS; ATMOSPHERIC THERMODYNAMICS; BUDGET CONTROL; CLIMATE CHANGE; FIGHTER AIRCRAFT; RAIN; WATER VAPOR;

CLIMATE VARIABILITY; INTERANNUAL VARIABILITY; MOISTURE/MOISTURE BUDGETS; SEASONAL CYCLE; SEASONAL VARIABILITY;

MOISTURE;

AIR-SEA INTERACTION; ANNUAL VARIATION; ATMOSPHERIC MOISTURE; ATMOSPHERIC TRANSPORT; CLIMATE VARIATION; MOISTURE FLUX; MONSOON; RAINFALL; SEASONAL VARIATION; WATER VAPOR;

ATLANTIC OCEAN; GULF OF GUINEA; SAHEL [SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA]; SUDAN; WEST AFRICA;

EID: 84980338927     PISSN: 08948755     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1175/JCLI-D-14-00746.1     Document Type: Article

References (56)

1. Agustí-Panareda, A., and Coauthors, 2010a: The ECMWF reanalysis for the AMMA observational campaign. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 136, 1457-1472, doi:10.1002/qj.662.
2. Agustí-Panareda, A., A. Beljaars, C. Cardinali, I. Genkova, and C. Thorncroft, 2010b: Impacts of assimilating AMMA soundings on ECMWF analyses and forecasts. Wea. Forecasting, 25, 1142-1160, doi:10.1175/2010WAF2222370.1.
3. Bielli, S., and R. Roca, 2010: Scale decomposition of atmospheric water budget over West Africa during the monsoon 2006 from NCEP/GFS analyses. Climate Dyn., 35, 143-157, doi:10.1007/s00382-009-0597-5.
4. Bock, O., and M. Nuret, 2009: Verification of nwp model analyses and radiosonde humidity data with GPS precipitable water vapor estimates during AMMA. Wea. Forecasting, 24, 1085-1101, doi:10.1175/2009WAF2222239.1.
5. Bock, O., and Coauthors, 2011: The large scale water cycle of the West Africanmonsoon. Atmos. Sci. Lett., 12, 51-57, doi:10.1002/asl.288.
6. Boyd, E., R. J. Cornforth, P. J. Lamb, A. Tarhule, M. I. Lélé, and A. Brouder, 2013: Building resilience to face recurring environmental crisis in African Sahel. Nat. Climate Change, 3, 631-637, doi:10.1038/nclimate1856.
7. Cadet, D. L., and O. Nnoli, 1987: Water vapour transport over Africa and the Atlantic Ocean during summer 1979. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 113, 581-602, doi:10.1002/qj.49711347609.
8. Cook, K. H., 1999: Generation of African easterly jet and its role in determiningWestAfrican precipitation. J. Climate, 12, 1165-1184, doi:10.1175/1520-0442(1999)012<1165:GOTAEJ>2.0.CO;2.
9. Couvreux, F., F. Guichard, O. Bock, B. Campistron, J.-P. Lafore, and J.-L. Redelsperger, 2010: Synoptic variability of the monsoon flux over West Africa prior to the onset. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 136, 159-173, doi:10.1002/qj.473.
10. Druyan, L. M., and R. J. Koster, 1989: Sources of Sahel precipitation for simulated drought and rainy seasons. J. Climate, 2, 1438-1446, doi:10.1175/1520-0442(1989)002<1438:SOSPFS>2.0.CO;2.
11. Eltahir, E. A. B., and R. L. Bras, 1996: Precipitation recycling. Rev. Geophys., 34, 367-379, doi:10.1029/96RG01927.
12. Folland, C. K., T. N. Palmer, and D. E. Parker, 1986: Sahel rainfall and worldwide sea surface temperatures 1901-85. Nature, 320, 602-607, doi:10.1038/320602a0.
13. Fontaine, B., P. Roucou, and S. Trzaska, 2003: Atmospheric water cycle and moisture fluxes in the West African monsoon: Mean annual cycles and relationship using NCEP/NCAR reanalysis. Geophys. Res. Lett., 30, 1117, doi:10.1029/2002GL015834.
14. Giannini, A., R. Saravanan, and P. Chang, 2003: Oceanic forcing of Sahel rainfall on interannual to interdecadal time scales. Science, 302, 1027-1030, doi:10.1126/science.1089357.
15. Gong, C., and E. Eltahir, 1996: Sources of moisture for rainfall in West Africa. Water Resour. Res., 32, 3115-3121, doi:10.1029/96WR01940.
16. Grams, C. M., S. C. Jones, J. H. Marsham, D. J. Parker, J. M. Haywood, and V. Heuveline, 2010: The Atlantic inflow to the Saharan heat low: observations and modelling. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 136, 125-140, doi:10.1002/qj.429.
17. Gu, G., and R. F. Adler, 2004: Seasonal evolution and variability associated with the West African monsoon system. J. Climate, 17, 3364-3377, doi:10.1175/1520-0442(2004)017<3364: SEAVAW>2.0.CO;2.
18. Hastenrath, S., 1990: Decadal-scale changes of the circulation in the tropical Atlantic sector associated with Sahel drought. Int. J. Climatol., 10, 459-472, doi:10.1002/joc.3370100504.
19. Hastenrath, S., 1991: Climate Dynamics of the Tropics. Kluwer Academic, 488 pp.
20. Hastenrath, S., and D. Polzin, 2011: Long-term variations of circulation in the tropical Atlantic sector and Sahel rainfall. Int. J. Climatol., 31, 649-655, doi:10.1002/joc.2116.
21. Hastenrath, S., and D. Polzin, 2014: Variations of circulation and Sahel rainfall in the twentieth century. Int. J. Climatol., 34, 1693-1698, doi:10.1002/joc.3740.
22. Kalnay, E., and Coauthors, 1996: The NCEP/NCAR 40-Year Reanalysis Project. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 77, 437-471, doi:10.1175/1520-0477(1996)077<0437:TNYRP>2.0.CO;2.
23. Kidson, J. W., 1977: African rainfall and its relation to the upper air circulation. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 103, 441-456, doi:10.1002/qj.49710343705.
24. Lamb, P. J., 1978a: Case studies of tropical Atlantic surface circulation patterns during recent sub-Saharan weather anomalies: 1967 and 1968. Mon. Wea. Rev., 106, 482-491, doi:10.1175/1520-0493(1978)106<0482:CSOTAS>2.0.CO;2.
25. Lamb, P. J., 1978b: Large-scale tropical Atlantic surface circulation patterns associated with subsaharan weather anomalies. Tellus, 30, 240-251, doi:10.1111/j.2153-3490.1978.tb00839.x.
26. Lamb, P. J., 1983: West African water vapor variations between recent contrasting sub-Saharan rainy seasons. Tellus, 35A, 198-212, doi:10.1111/j.1600-0870.1983.tb00197.x.
27. Lamb, P. J., and R. A. Peppler, 1992: Further case studies of tropical Atlantic surface atmospheric and oceanic patterns associated with sub-Saharan drought. J. Climate, 5, 476-488, doi:10.1175/1520-0442(1992)005<0476:FCSOTA>2.0.CO;2.
28. Le Barbé, L., T. Lebel, and D. Tapsoba, 2002: Rainfall variability in West Africa during the years 1950-90. J. Climate, 15, 187-202, doi:10.1175/1520-0442(2002)015<0187:RVIWAD>2.0.CO;2.
29. Lélé, I. M., and P. J. Lamb, 2010: Variability of the intertropical front (ITF) and rainfall over the West African Sudan-Sahel zone. J. Climate, 23, 3984-4004, doi:10.1175/2010JCLI3277.1.
30. Long, M., D. Entekhabi, and S. E. Nicholson, 2000: Interannual variability in rainfall, water vapor flux, and vertical motion over West Africa. J. Climate, 13, 3827-3841, doi:10.1175/1520-0442(2000)013<3827:IVIRWV>2.0.CO;2.
31. Mera, R., A. G. Laing, and F. Semenzzi, 2014: Moisture variability and multiscale interactions during spring in West Africa. Mon. Wea. Rev., 142, 3178-3198, doi:10.1175/MWR-D-13-00175.1.
32. Meynadier, R., O. Bock, F. Guichard, A. Boone, P. Roucou, and J.-L. Redelsperger, 2010a: West African monsoon water cycle: 1. A hybrid water budget dataset. J. Geophys. Res., 115, D19106, doi:10.1029/2010JD013917.
33. Meynadier, R., O. Bock, F, S. Gervois, F. Guichard, J.-L. Redelsperger, A. Agustí-Panareda, and A. Beljaars, 2010b: West African Monsoon water cycle: 2. Assessment of numerical weather prediction water budgets. J. Geophys. Res., 115, D19107, doi:10.1029/2010JD013919.
34. Nicholson, S., 1985: Sub-Saharan rainfall 1983-84. J. Climate Appl. Meteor., 24, 1388-1391, doi:10.1175/1520-0450(1985)024<1388: SSR>2.0.CO;2.
35. Nicholson, S., 2008: The intensity, location and structure of the tropical rainbelt over West Africa as factors in interannual variability. Int. J. Climatol., 28, 1775-1785, doi:10.1002/joc.1507.
36. Nicholson, S., 2013: The West African Sahel: A review of recent studies on the rainfall regime and its interannual variability. ISRN Meteor., 2013, 453521, doi:10.1155/2013/453521.
37. Nicholson, S., and J. P. Grist, 2001: A conceptual model for understanding rainfall variability in the West African Sahel on interannual and interdecadal timescales. Int. J. Climatol., 21, 1733-1757, doi:10.1002/joc.648.
38. Nicholson, S., and J. P. Grist, 2003: The seasonal evolution of the atmospheric circulation over West Africa and equatorial Africa. J. Climate, 16, 1013-1030, doi:10.1175/1520-0442(2003)016<1013: TSEOTA>2.0.CO;2.
39. Nicholson, S., and P. J. Webster, 2007: A physical basis for the interannual variability of rainfall in the Sahel. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 133, 2065-2084, doi:10.1002/qj.104.
40. Nicholson, S., B. Some, and B. Kone, 2000: A note on recent rainfall conditions in West Africa, including the rainy season of the 1997 ENSO year. J. Climate, 13, 2628-2640, doi:10.1175/1520-0442(2000)013<2628:AAORRC>2.0.CO;2.
41. Nieto, R., L. Gimeno, and R. M. Trigo, 2006: A Lagrangian identification of major sources of Sahel moisture. Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L18707, doi:10.1029/2006GL027232.
42. Omotosho, J. B., 1990: Onset of thunderstorms and precipitation over northern Nigeria. Int. J. Climatol., 10, 849-860, doi:10.1002/joc.3370100807.
43. Omotosho, J. B., A. A. Balogun, and K. Ogunjobi, 2000: Predicting monthly and seasonal rainfall, onset and cessation of the rainy season inWest Africa using only surface data. Int. J. Climatol., 20, 865-880, doi:10.1002/1097-0088(20000630)20:8<865:: AID-JOC505>3.0.CO;2-R.
44. Peyrillé, P., J. P. Lafore, and J. L. Redelsperger, 2007: An idealized two-dimensional framework to study the West African monsoon. Part I: Validation and key controlling factors. J. Atmos. Sci., 64, 2765-2782, doi:10.1175/JAS3919.1.
45. Pu, B., and K. H. Cook, 2012: Role of the West African westerly jet in Sahel rainfall variations. J. Climate, 25, 2880-2896, doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-11-00394.1.
46. Redelsperger, J. L., A. Diongue, A. Diedhiou, J. P. Ceron, M. Diop, J. F. Gueremy, and J. P. Lafore, 2002: Multiscale description of a Sahelian synoptic weather system representative of the West African monsoon. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 128, 1229-1257, doi:10.1256/003590002320373274.
47. M. Diop, C. D. Thorncroft, A. Diedhiou, T. Lebel, D. J. Parker, J. Polcher, 2006: African monsoon multidisciplinary analysis: An international research project and field campaign. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 87, 1739-1746, doi:10.1175/BAMS-87-12-1739.
48. Spinks, J., and Y.-L. Lin, 2015: Variability of the subtropical highs, African easterly jet and easterly wave intensities over North Africa and Arabian Peninsula in late summer. Int. J. Climatol., doi:10.1002/joc.4226, in press.
49. Sultan, B., and S. Janicot, 2003: The West African monsoon dynamics. Part II: The ''preonset'' and ''onset'' of the summer monsoon. J. Climate, 16, 3407-3427, doi:10.1175/1520-0442(2003)016<3407:TWAMDP>2.0.CO;2.
50. Thorncroft, C. D., H. Nguyen, C. Zhang, and P. Peyrillé, 2011: Annual cycle of the West African monsoon: Regional circulations and associated water vapour transport. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 137, 129-147, doi:10.1002/qj.728.
51. Ward, M. N., 1998: Diagnosis and short-lead time prediction of summer rainfall in tropical North Africa at interannual and multidecadal timescales. J. Climate, 11, 3167-3191, doi:10.1175/1520-0442(1998)011<3167:DASLTP>2.0.CO;2.
52. Webster, P. J., 1994: The role of hydrological processes in oceanatmosphere interactions. Rev. Geophys., 32, 427-476, doi:10.1029/94RG01873.
53. Xie, P., and P. A. Arkin, 1997: Global precipitation: A 17-year monthly analysis based on gauge observations, satellite estimates, and numerical model outputs. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 78, 2539-2558, doi:10.1175/1520-0477(1997)078<2539: GPAYMA>2.0.CO;2.
54. Xie, P., J. E. Janowiak, P. A. Arkin, R. F. Adler, A. Gruber, R. Ferraro, G. J. Huffman, and S. Curtis, 2003: GPCP pentad precipitation analyses: An experimental dataset based on gauge observations and satellite estimates. J. Climate, 16, 2197-2214, doi:10.1175/2769.1.
55. Xue, Y. K., and Coauthors, 2010: Intercomparison and analyses of the climatology of the West African monsoon in the West AfricanMonsoon Modeling and Evaluation project (WAMME) first model intercomparison experiment. Climate Dyn., 35, 3-27, doi:10.1007/s00382-010-0778-2.
56. Yin, X., A. Gruber, and P. Arkin, 2004: Comparison of the GPCP and CMAP merged gauge-satellite monthly precipitation products for the period 1979-2001. J. Hydrometeor., 5, 1207-1222, doi:10.1175/JHM-392.1.