Decadal Variability in West Africa
Observed multi-decadal fluctuations in West African, and the Sahel in particular, rainfall are some of the most pronounced multi-decadal signals on the globe. Understanding and forecasting such variability would be of great use to those living and working in the region as well as decision makers. Not only are the multi-decadal rainfall fluctuations of high societal impact for those in West Africa, they may also impact Atlantic hurricane and tropical storm activity, of high societal impact for the Caribbean and United States. The aim of this work is to increase understanding of the decadal variability in West Africa using observations and assessing the capability of coupled atmosphere ocean general circulation models in simulating such variability.
1. Observational study of the impact of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation on the annual cycle of the West African Monsoon
2. Assessment of CMIP5 models in simulating the West African Monsoon
3. Simulation of multi-decadal Sahel rainfall variability in CMIP5 models: Connections with Atlantic SST
4. Assessment of Sahel rainfall in CMIP5 decadal hindcasts
1. Observational study of the impact of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation on the annual cycle of the West African Monsoon
2. Assessment of CMIP5 models in simulating the West African Monsoon
3. Simulation of multi-decadal Sahel rainfall variability in CMIP5 models: Connections with Atlantic SST
4. Assessment of Sahel rainfall in CMIP5 decadal hindcasts
Caribbean Precipitation Variability
The Caribbean is one of many regions of the world where it is vital to understand precipitation patterns, variability, and extremes. The low-lying coastal regions of the Caribbean islands are densely populated with development pressure increasing. The region is also vulnerable to many natural hazards that are related to and exacerbated by precipitation, such as hurricanes, earthquakes, mudslides, and drought. There is also evidence that precipitation patterns can influence the spread of dengue fever in the region. Planning, policy, and management of these events are extremely dependent on knowledge of the precipitation of the region. These social and economic reasons provide considerable motivation for increasing and expanding current knowledge of precipitation in the Caribbean in both observations and simulation in global climate models.
1. Intraseasonal variability of Caribbean precipitation
2. The Caribbean low-level jet in CMIP3 models
3. The precipitation - SST - vertical motion relationship in tropical warm pools in CMIP3 models
1. Intraseasonal variability of Caribbean precipitation
2. The Caribbean low-level jet in CMIP3 models
3. The precipitation - SST - vertical motion relationship in tropical warm pools in CMIP3 models
Atmospheric Undular Bores
Observations from the 2004 North American Monsoon Experiment (NAME) were used in conjunction with numerical modeling experiments (using WRF) to investigate atmospheric undular bores in the region of the North American monsoon. The WRF model was able to successfully simulate many aspects of the observed atmsopheric bore.
1. Observational and WRF simulation of an atmospheric undular bore during the North American Monsoon Experiment
1. Observational and WRF simulation of an atmospheric undular bore during the North American Monsoon Experiment