J1.6
A mechanism for the low-frequency variability of the Sahel rainfall
Guiling Wang, MIT, Cambridge, MA; and E. A. B. Eltahir
Historical records and recent observations have shown that rainfall variability in the Sahel region is dominated by the low-frequency component at decadal time scale. To study the physical mechanism behind this long-term rainfall fluctuations, we carried out simulations of 100 years using a synchronously coupled biosphere-atmosphere model, with the sea surface temperature (SST) in the Atlantic ocean varying from 1898 to 1997. Our study show that ecosystem dynamics regulate the response of the biosphere-atmosphere system in West Africa to the SST forcings over the Atlantic Ocean. Based on our results, we argue that the natural ecosystem dynamics play a critical role in enhancing the low-frequency rainfall variability over the Sahel region.
Joint Session 1, Surface/Atmosphere Interactions: Invited Session (Joint with the 15th Conference on Hydrology and 11th Symposium on Global Change Studies)
Wednesday, 12 January 2000, 8:00 AM-4:59 PM
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