0000000000541389
AUTHOR
S. Bigot
Dyvalocca : un projet pour l'étude des nuages bas de saison sèche sur la façade atlantique de l'Afrique centrale et de leur impact bioclimatique sur les forêts sempervirentes.
Low-level clouds are key components of the climate but are not well represented in weather and climate models. Recently it has been shown that an extensive low-level cloud cover develops during the June-September main dry season in western equatorial Africa, from the coastal plains of Gabon and Congo-Brazzaville to the inland plateaus downstream of the low-mountain crests. Such a cloudy main dry season is unique in the moist Tropics and is likely to explain the presence of the densest and evergreen forests of Central Africa as evapotranspiration is low and the quality of light is high. The ANR-DFG funded “DYVALOCCA” project will conduct from 2020 to 2022 a field campaign, raise existing in-…
État actuel des réseaux de mesures éco-climatiques en Afrique centrale : les ambitions du projet de recherche international FORGREENE.
This work presents an overview of spatio-temporal quality andspatial density of rainfall networks of Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, CAP and DRC, particularly in the recentperiod (1973-2014) through the GSOD international database. Faced with enormous gaps observed, theseresults will help to select metrological and analytical orientations in FORGREENE project (Tropical forestsgreeness and cloudiness in Central Africa: present conditions and future evolution). A comparison with rainfallsatellite estimates (RFE type) also indicates their great potential, provided they are based on in situ validations.
Analysis of cloudiness and solar radiation diurnal cycles for a better understanding of the forests greenness mean annual cycle in Central Africa.
To better understand the Central Africa forests sensitivity toclimate variability, we jointly analyse the mean annual cycles of greenness, rainfall, cloudiness and solarradiation for the target region 0-5°N/12-19°E using high resolution satellite data. Our results demonstrate theimportance of the diurnal scale for understanding the mean annual cycles of rainfall, cloudiness and solarradiation and the way they shape those of forest greenness. They also suggest that whereas the March-Mayrainy season appears optimal for greenness especially because of favorable light conditions, water availabilityis the main controlling factor in December-January the main dry season and in February at the star…