Special Issue Article

Intraseasonal variability of the West African monsoon

  1. S. Janicot1,*,
  2. G. Caniaux2,
  3. F. Chauvin2,
  4. G. de Coëtlogon3,
  5. B. Fontaine4,
  6. N. Hall5,
  7. G. Kiladis6,
  8. J.-P. Lafore2,
  9. C. Lavaysse7,
  10. S. L. Lavender8,
  11. S. Leroux6,
  12. R. Marteau4,
  13. F. Mounier9,
  14. N. Philippon4,
  15. R. Roehrig2,
  16. B. Sultan1,
  17. C. M. Taylor10

Article first published online: 3 AUG 2010

DOI: 10.1002/asl.280

Issue

Atmospheric Science Letters

Atmospheric Science Letters

Special Issue: African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis (AMMA): an integrated project for understanding of the West African climate system and its human dimension

Volume 12, Issue 1, pages 58–66, January/March 2011

Additional Information

How to Cite

Janicot, S., Caniaux, G., Chauvin, F., de Coëtlogon, G., Fontaine, B., Hall, N., Kiladis, G., Lafore, J.-P., Lavaysse, C., Lavender, S. L., Leroux, S., Marteau, R., Mounier, F., Philippon, N., Roehrig, R., Sultan, B. and Taylor, C. M. (2011), Intraseasonal variability of the West African monsoon. Atmosph. Sci. Lett., 12: 58–66. doi: 10.1002/asl.280

Author Information

  1. 1

    Laboratoire d'Océanographie et du Climat: Expérimentation et Analyses Numériques/Institut Pierre-Simon Laplace, Institut de Recherches pour le Développement, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Boite 100, 75252 Paris cedex 05, France

  2. 2

    Centre National de Recherches Météorologiques, Météo-France, Toulouse, France

  3. 3

    Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales/Institut Pierre-Simon Laplace, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France

  4. 4

    Centre de Recherches de Climatologie, Université de Bourgogne, Dijon, France

  5. 5

    Laboratoire d'Etudes en Géophysique et Océanographie Spatiales/Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées, Toulouse, France

  6. 6

    Physical Sciences Division, Earth System Research Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Boulder, Colorado, USA

  7. 7

    Mac Gill University, Montreal, Canada

  8. 8

    School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK

  9. 9

    EQECAT, Paris, France

  10. 10

    Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford, UK

*LOCEAN/IPSL, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Boite 100, 4 Place Jussieu, 75252 Paris cedex 05, France.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 25 FEB 2011
  2. Article first published online: 3 AUG 2010
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 10 MAY 2010
  4. Manuscript Revised: 7 MAY 2010
  5. Manuscript Received: 9 FEB 2010

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Keywords:

  • West African monsoon;
  • intraseasonal variability;
  • monsoon onset;
  • predictability;
  • crop yield

Abstract

The intraseasonal time scale is critical in West Africa where resources are highly rainfall dependent. Three main modes of variability have been identified, two with a mean periodicity of 15 days and one with a mean periodicity around 40 days. These modes have a regional scale and can strongly influence precipitation and convective activity. They are mainly controlled by atmospheric dynamics and land–surface interactions. They can also modulate the very specific phase of the African summer monsoon onset. A better knowledge of the mechanisms controlling this scale is necessary to improve its predictability. Copyright © 2010 Royal Meteorological Society

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