From local hydrology to global climate
p. 164-165
Résumé
In the 1980s, the emergence of global circulation models provided scientists with the tool they needed to anticipate possible global climate changes. The creation of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 1988 marked the advent of a new scientific front located at the interface between public development and environmental management policies.
Texte intégral
1In 1990, in Niger’s Niamey region, IRD researchers worked with scientists from Météo France, CNRS and NASA as part of the Hapex-Sahel project. They installed elaborate instruments which, for two years, recorded air and water flows on very small scales; in short, everything making it possible to describe and understand exchanges between the earth and the atmosphere, within a study area of approximately 10,000 square kilometres. This was a perfect surface area to feed data into early climate simulation models. This was a totally new objective for Orstom as, historically, Orstom’s hydrology activities were firmly anchored in local development issues. Researchers, engineers and technicians were sent out into the field to quantify variations in rainfall or flood patterns with a view to effectively designing hydraulic dams and sanitation systems. The primary aim was to acquire data relevant to the application. Young researchers from the Institute progressively promoted a more comprehensive view of hydrology as a key component of the climate system, without however turning away from their mission, which was to help secure access to water resources for the populations of the countries where they operated
Arrival of the monsoon.

© IRD/J.-L. Rajot
••• From Hapex-Sahel to AMMA: moving towards a comprehensive view of the water cycle consistent with the emergence of the climate change issue •••
MIT radar on the Niamey site, Niger.

© IRD/T. Lebel
2Hapex-Sahel was a turning point in this process: the first measurement campaign organised to understand climate mechanisms in the tropical belt, resulting 15 years later in the AMMA campaigns, where 600 scientists took a close look at the functioning of the African monsoon to improve its representation in climate models while anticipating its future developments in the context of global change.
“The Agrhymet Centre began working with IRD forty years ago. The Hapex-Sahel and AMMA projects marked a turning point, making it possible to jointly build a comprehensive view of how climate change would affect the hydrological cycle and water resources in the Sahel.”
Abdou Ali, head of the Information and Research Department, Agrhymet Regional Centre, Niger

Le texte seul est utilisable sous licence Creative Commons - Attribution - Pas d'Utilisation Commerciale - Pas de Modification 4.0 International - CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Les autres éléments (illustrations, fichiers annexes importés) sont « Tous droits réservés », sauf mention contraire.
Biodiversité au Sud
Recherches pour un monde durable
Jean-François Agnèse, Olivier Dangles et Estienne Rodary (dir.)
2020
Biodiversity in the Global South
Research for a sustainable world
Jean-François Agnèse, Olivier Dangles et Estienne Rodary (dir.)
2020
Trajectoires de recherches en Amazonie brésilienne
L'IRD et ses partenaires
Frédérique Seyler, Marie-Pierre Ledru et Laure Emperaire (dir.)
2022
Trajetórias de pesquisa na Amazônia brasileira
O IRD e seus parceiros
Frédérique Seyler, Marie-Pierre Ledru et Laure Emperaire (dir.)
2022
Science et développement durable
75 ans de recherche au Sud
Corinne Lavagne, Thomas Mourier, Marie-Lise Sabrié et al. (dir.)
2019
Science and sustainable development
75 years of research in the Global South
Corinne Lavagne, Thomas Mourier, Marie-Lise Sabrié et al. (dir.)
2020
L'océan en commun
Sciences au sud pour un monde durable
Stéphanie Duvail, Marine Herrmann, Marina Lévy et al. (dir.)
2025
Our Shared Ocean
Science in the Global South for a sustainable world
Stéphanie Duvail, Marine Herrmann, Marina Lévy et al. (dir.)
2025
