Rural societies in the face of climatic and environmental changes in West Africa
| , , ,Part I. Recent and future climate change in West Africa. Obvious features, uncertainties and perceptions
Chapter 2. The return of a wet period in the Sahel?
Observations and prospects
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Excerpt
Introduction
The question of the evolution of precipitations is of prime importance in the Sahel, a region where rainfall is at the heart of societal concerns. A deficit affects the availability of water resources and the yields of farming that is still mainly rainfed. Excess water can cause extreme hydrologic events that are harmful for populations increasingly exposed to flood risks. Precipitations are in fact the signature of the atmospheric and environmental processes that regulate the West African monsoon, which is in turn a component of the global climate system. The evolution of precipitations is thus at the hinge-point between climate variability and its impact on populations. Describing it is essential for learning about water-related risks and anticipating their future in a changing global climate.
Following the strong involvement of the international scientific community, especially at the end of the 1970s, major progress has been made in the understanding of the mechanisms...
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