6533b82ffe1ef96bd1294e9d
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Evolution of dry season low cloud cover over the Atlantic coast of Central Africa from diurnal to interannual scale
Vincent MoronRaffael AelligLewis BackitaAlexandre BergerSylvain BigotPierre CamberlinThierry CastelOlivier ChampagneAndreas FinkPeter KnippertzJean Damien Maloba MakangaArmand MariscalBéatrice MorelAmine OuhechouJulien PergaudNathalie PhilipponGaston SambaGeneviève Sèzesubject
diurnal cycleAfrique CentraleCentral Africa[SDV.EE.BIO] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Ecology environment/Bioclimatology[SDU.STU.CL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/ClimatologyModèles CMIP6[SDV.EE.BIO]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Ecology environment/BioclimatologyNuages basCycle diurneCMIP6 modelslow cloudsdescription
Despite its bioclimatic importance, few studies have focused on the stratiform low-level cloud cover ofthe dry season (June-September) of the Atlantic coast of Central Africa. Using in-situ data documenting theperiod 1971-2019, we show that this cloud cover is underestimated by SAFNWC satellite observations andCMIP6 models. We identify three types of days: clear, cloudy at night and totally cloudy, the latterbeing more frequent on the coast and inland, to the windward of the Cristal and Chaillu Mountains. Onan interannual scale, temperature anomalies in the South Tropical Atlantic, the equatorial Pacific and theCongo Basin, by modulating the meridional and zonal circulation cells, influence the stability of the lowerlayers, the vertical shear and ultimately the frequency of the cloudiest days.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-07-06 |