The Influence of Synoptic and Planetary-Scale Climate Systems on the Occurrence of Drought in Sub-Saharan Africa

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This research will study the atmospheric and oceanic climate systems that are thought to influence the rainfall characteristics over sub-Sahara Africa during the summer monsoon rainy season. The investigation will focus on the pre-season development of atmospheric pressure and circulation systems and their mutual interaction with sea-surface temperature anomaly patterns in an effort to identify predictors of the Sahelian drought. The primary vehicle of the investigation is the GISS GCM coupled to a mixed layer ocean. This will be one of the first (if not the first) studies to employ a coupled atmosphere-ocean model to investigate the causes, maintenance, and predictability of the Sahelian drought. This study is important as it is likely to significantly improve the prospects of more realistic Sahelian climate simulation than has been possible in the past.