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SDS-WAS, 2015-001. Dust/ sand storms over Libya : Spatial distribution, frequency and seasonality, technical report
The climate of most of the coastal region of Libya can be classified as semi-arid, while that of the rest of the country is arid. Rainfall is erratic with extremely variable yearly rainfall amounts: a series of dry years may follow a year with adequate rainfall. Furthermore, monthly and seasonal totals are not homogenous and most precipitation occurs during winter months.
Dust and sand storms, the focus of the present study, are one of the main extreme weather phenomena that affect Libya. In this paper, spatial and temporal distribution, frequency and seasonality are studied and analyze ...
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Available online: Full text
Ali Salem Eddenjal ; World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
Published by: WMO ; 2015The climate of most of the coastal region of Libya can be classified as semi-arid, while that of the rest of the country is arid. Rainfall is erratic with extremely variable yearly rainfall amounts: a series of dry years may follow a year with adequate rainfall. Furthermore, monthly and seasonal totals are not homogenous and most precipitation occurs during winter months.
Dust and sand storms, the focus of the present study, are one of the main extreme weather phenomena that affect Libya. In this paper, spatial and temporal distribution, frequency and seasonality are studied and analyzed. Normal frequency for the period 1961-1990 is computed and discussed on seasonal and annual basis. Finally, the annual frequency for the period 2000-2009 is computed and compared with the normal values in order to analyze temporal trends.
The analysis concludes that sand and dust storms occur in most stations almost the whole year. They are more frequent in spring, especially in April, with the highest annual frequencies observed at Tobruk airport (14.9 days), Hon (12.9), Sirt (11.2( and Ghadames (11.1). A net decrease of 30% is observed during the decade 2000-2009 when compared with the normal values for 1961-1990.Collection(s) and Series: SDS-WAS- No. 2015-001
Language(s): English
Format: Digital (Free)Tags: Sandstorm ; Dust storm ; Libya (State of) ; Synoptic weather station ; Lee depressions
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Disaster risk reduction efforts in the Greater Horn of Africa : In International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, March 2015, volume 6, issue 1, pp. 49-61
This article assesses the current state of disaster risk reduction (DRR) in the Greater Horn of Africa (GHA), and focuses on interventions and policies to mitigate hydrometeorological risks. The research analyzes, as main case study, the program “Regional Climate Prediction and Risk Reduction in the Greater Horn of Africa” funded by the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID OFDA) in the early 2000 that targeted risk preparedness.Disaster risk reduction efforts in the Greater Horn of Africa: In International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, March 2015, volume 6, issue 1, pp. 49-61
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Available online: http://preventionweb.net/go/46403
This article assesses the current state of disaster risk reduction (DRR) in the Greater Horn of Africa (GHA), and focuses on interventions and policies to mitigate hydrometeorological risks. The research analyzes, as main case study, the program “Regional Climate Prediction and Risk Reduction in the Greater Horn of Africa” funded by the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID OFDA) in the early 2000 that targeted risk preparedness.
Language(s): English
Format: Digital (Free)Tags: Disaster Risk Management (DRM) ; Djibouti ; Eritrea ; Ethiopia ; Kenya ; Somalia ; Sudan ; United Republic of Tanzania ; Uganda
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Assessing Agricultural Risk in Africa Using Satellite Data and Land Surface Models
Droughts pose a major risk in most African countries including Ghana where agricultural activities are heavily dependent on rainfall. Efforts at assessing droughts and providing decision support tools to farmers are hampered by a lack of rainfall and other meteorological data over many parts of Africa. Satellite based rainfall measurements have been suggested to fill the rainfall data gaps over Africa to enable effective assessment of droughts. Traditional methods of assessing droughts have been based on statistical formulations that relied mostly on precipitation. This approach to assessing d ...Published by: University of Reading ; 2015
Droughts pose a major risk in most African countries including Ghana where agricultural activities are heavily dependent on rainfall. Efforts at assessing droughts and providing decision support tools to farmers are hampered by a lack of rainfall and other meteorological data over many parts of Africa. Satellite based rainfall measurements have been suggested to fill the rainfall data gaps over Africa to enable effective assessment of droughts. Traditional methods of assessing droughts have been based on statistical formulations that relied mostly on precipitation. This approach to assessing droughts ignores important soil water balance processes such as evapotranspiration and antecedent soil moisture which limits its applicability to agricultural drought assessment. We use in-situ observation data (OBS), satellite estimated rainfall data (TAMSAT) and the Joint UK Land and Environment Simulator model to study soil moisture and how it impacts on crop production. The response of soil moisture to changes in vegetation and soil type is tested through a series of experiments in which the soil and vegetation parameters in JULES are changed. TAMSAT was found to persistently underestimate the intensity and amount of rainfall and as a result soil moisture content over northern Ghana but showed good skill replicating the inter-annual variations and the occurrence of rainfall during the rainy season. Soils with greater clay contents showed more tendencies to have drought than those with lesser clay content. Land surfaces with C3 grass were found to be less prone to droughts than those with C4 grass. Meteorological wet and dry years were found not to correspond to agricultural wet and dry years highlighting the importance of using soil moisture for assessment agricultural drought as was done in this study.
Notes: A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Science in Applied Meteorology and Climate with Management. - If you wish to download the full text, please contact library(at)wmo.int (Please replace (at) by @).
Language(s): English
Format: Digital (Available online for logged-in users)Tags: Drought forecasting ; Satellite ; Agrometeorology ; Region I - Africa ; Thesis - WMO Fellowship Division
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Rainfall characteristics over Togo and their related atomospheric circulation anomalies: In Journal of Environmental & Agricultural Sciences, 5:34-48
This study attempts to reveal features of rainfall over Togo, in relationship to the
prevailing atmospheric circulation. The study employed correlation analysis and composite analysis in
the analysis of rainfall, sea surface temperature, wind, and humidity. Empirical orthogonal functions
(EOF) analysis was employed in this study. The years: 1989, 1991, 1995, 2003 and 2007 were
identified to be anomalously wet years while 1982, 1983, 1990, 1992, 2001 and 2006 fall in the
anomalously dry years’ category. The dominant mode of variability exhibits a dipole patter ...Rainfall characteristics over Togo and their related atomospheric circulation anomalies: In Journal of Environmental & Agricultural Sciences, 5:34-48
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Kpaikpai Batebana ; Bob Alex Ogwang ; Zin Mie Mie Sein ; Faustin Katchele Ogou ; Victor Ongoma ; Jean Paul Ngarukiyimana
Published by: Batebana et al. ; 2015This study attempts to reveal features of rainfall over Togo, in relationship to the
prevailing atmospheric circulation. The study employed correlation analysis and composite analysis in
the analysis of rainfall, sea surface temperature, wind, and humidity. Empirical orthogonal functions
(EOF) analysis was employed in this study. The years: 1989, 1991, 1995, 2003 and 2007 were
identified to be anomalously wet years while 1982, 1983, 1990, 1992, 2001 and 2006 fall in the
anomalously dry years’ category. The dominant mode of variability exhibits a dipole pattern, and
explains 36% of the total variance. The rainfall was robustly correlated to Southern Atlantic Ocean
Dipole (SAOD). The predominant wind flow over the country is westerly. Wet years were associated
with anomalous low pressure area over Togo as opposed to the dry years which exhibited an anomalous
high pressure area in the same region at low level. The results from this study provided basic climate
information on Togo’s rainfall. The SAOD can be further investigated of how it can be factored into
seasonal rainfall forecasting over Togo. Accurate and timely rainfall forecasting will help to minimize
the devastating impacts associated with anomalous rainfall in the region.Notes: If you wish to download the full text, please contact library(at)wmo.int (Please replace (at) by @).
Language(s): English
Format: Digital (Available online for logged-in users)Tags: Atmospheric circulation ; Precipitation ; Togo ; Thesis - WMO Fellowship Division
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Monitoring and evaluating climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction in Uganda
This scoping study report is an analysis of the monitoring and evaluation frameworks and tools in Uganda with focus on climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction. It provides an overview of Uganda’s climate change and other related policy context and their provisions for monitoring and evaluation frameworks. The report also highlights the current reporting systems and the mandates of different institutions for climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction. The tools and systems used for data and information collection, processing, reporting, storage and dissemination are hig ...
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Available online: http://preventionweb.net/go/45494
Published by: IIED ; 2015
This scoping study report is an analysis of the monitoring and evaluation frameworks and tools in Uganda with focus on climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction. It provides an overview of Uganda’s climate change and other related policy context and their provisions for monitoring and evaluation frameworks. The report also highlights the current reporting systems and the mandates of different institutions for climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction. The tools and systems used for data and information collection, processing, reporting, storage and dissemination are highlighted. Key monitoring and evaluation elements in selected government adaptation and disaster risk reduction projects, and how they are being implemented and monitored are also discussed.
The main purpose of the study which was successfully achieved was to identify possible monitoring and evaluation framework options and entry points for integrating the TAMD process to improve monitoring and reporting on climate change adaptation and risk reduction.Language(s): English
Format: Digital (Free)ISBN (or other code): 978-1-78431-143-8
Tags: Climate change ; Disaster Risk Management (DRM) ; Uganda
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Agricultural vulnerability to climate change in Sokoto State, Nigeria: In African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development
Atedhor G.O. - Oxford Policy Management, 2015This paper examines agricultural vulnerability to climate change in eight selected rural settlements in Sokoto State, Nigeria.
An integrated approach is used which combines environmental and socio-economic determinants. Results show that while there were downward trends of annual rainfall and raindays in Sokoto, annual mean temperatures show upward trend. Annual droughts were of slight and moderate intensities during the period under review. The results also revealed that unreliable rainfall, desertification, increasing temperatures, scarcity of pastures and inaccessibility to c ...Permalink![]()
Climate finance and water security: Synthesis report
This synthesis report summarises research on how climate finance has been spent so far, and whether or not it has been spent on improving people’s water security.
The report highlights that the global community has committed to mobilise US $100 billion every year, from 2020 onwards. The study aims to identify the type and scale of national and subnational programmes and projects that have been funded by climate finance and how they relate to local water security. Findings are summarised from three case studies in Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Zambia.
There is a brief d ...Permalink![]()
Potential impact of climate and socioeconomic changes on future agricultural land use in West Africa: In Earth Syst. Dynam. Discuss., 6
Copernicus Publications, 2015This study compares the contributions of climate change and socioeconomic development to potential future changes of agricultural land use in West Africa.
It uses a prototype land use projection (LandPro) algorithm which is based on a balance between food supply and demand, and accounts for the impact of socioeconomic drivers on the demand side and the impact of climate-induced crop yield changes on the supply side. It considers the impact of human decision-making on land use.
The paper argues that without agricultural intensification, the climate-induced decrease ...Permalink![]()
Malawi 2015 floods post disaster needs assessment report
Malawi - government, 2015The PDNA report indicates that the Malawi 2015 floods affected 1,101,364 people, displaced 230,000 and killed 106 people. The assessment focuses on medium to long term reconstruction and provides the guiding principles for recovery, including assessment of the damage, losses, and recovery and reconstruction strategies for each sector are provided in detailed sector.Permalink![]()
National climate change adaptation: emerging practices in monitoring and evaluation
Unblocking the climate finance negotiations will unlock a new global agreement on climate change in Paris later this year. Developing countries need to see tangible commitment to providing the finance needed to combat the negative effects of climate change.
As global emissions continue to increase, so does the cost of managing the impact. Africa’s Group of Negotiators (AGN) is positioned to take the lead, consistently presenting common positions for 54 countries. A breakthrough necessitates focus on a key issue that will yield win–win outcomes. The global climate finance architecture, w ...PermalinkPermalinkPermalink![]()
Africa's adaptation gap 2 : technical report
While the first Africa Adaptation Gap Report demonstrated how delaying action would result in exponentially rising costs down the road, this second report now turns to possible solutions to respond to this urgency. Based on the analyses contained in this report, policy makers can consider how all options at international, regional and national levels can complement each other.
The report builds on the UNEP 2014 emissions gap report that asserts that by 2050, Africa’s adaptation costs could rise to USD 50 billion per year for a scenario holding global warming below 2°C, and up to ...Permalink![]()
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The Climate in Africa: 2013
In Africa in 2013, the critical weather and climate trends of the last decades continued: it was one of the warmest years on the continent since at least 1950, with temperatures above average in most regions. Precipitation at the continental scale was near average. But several extreme events hit the region. The floods that hit Mozambique in January were among the 10 most severe in the world that year, based on the number of deaths. In contrast, the rains in Namibia and neighboring countries fell well below normal, leading to a severe drought.Permalink![]()
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Le climat en Afrique en 2013
Les grandes tendances météorologiques et climatiques observées ces dernières décennies en Afrique se sont maintenues: 2013 a été l’une des années les plus chaudes depuis 1950 au moins, les températures s’établissant au-dessus de la moyenne dans la plupart des sous-régions. Les précipitations ont été proches des normales à l’échelle du continent, malgré plusieurs phénomènes extrêmes. Le Mozambique a subi en janvier l’une des dix inondations les plus meurtrières survenues dans le monde cette année-là. À l’inverse, la Namibie et les pays voisins ont souffert d’une grave sécheresse due à un net dé ...Permalink