Further Studies on the Meteorology of Western Equatorial Africa

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The overall goal of this project is to further our understanding of the factors that govern rainfall and its interannual variability in western equatorial Africa. The work will focus on the mean climate and general circulation in the region, the African Easterly Jet of the Southern Hemisphere, wave activity, mesoscale convective systems, and interannual variability. It will be primarily observational. A pervasive theme is the role of topography. The role of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Atlantic will also be emphasized as possible factors in interannual variability. The significance of this work is that it will help to fill in two major gaps in our understanding of African meteorology. One is the knowledge gap concerning its equatorial sector. The other gap is the "black box" of atmospheric circulation that transmits the influence of sea surface temperatures (SSTs) to African rainfall variability. This work will have many broader impacts. The knowledge generated will provide a basis for studying equatorial processes on a global basis. The results of this study can potentially benefit society via their application to understanding/forecasting of droughts and floods in Africa. Also, this region is the source of water for many semi-arid regions. A better understanding of regional meteorology will have implications for water supply in these adjacent regions. In addition, the project will also have educational impacts on under-represented groups.