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Interdecadal Changes in Ocean Teleconnections with the Sahel pp 155–174Cite as

Modulation of the Non-stationary Mediterranean-Sahel Teleconnection

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Abstract

The SST has been identified as driver of interannual to multidecadal Sahel rainfall variability (e.g., Bader and Latif 2003; Mohino et al. 2011), thus becoming a key factor in the predictability of West African droughts (Rodríguez-Fonseca et al. 2015). One of these drivers is the Mediterranean Sea. At multidecadal time scales, the wetting impact of anthropogenic Mediterranean warming has been recently presented by its dominant role on projected Sahel rainfall, prevailing over the tropical Atlantic and Indo-Pacific oceans, which historically were the main drivers of Sahel drought (Park et al. 2016). Otherwise, the impact of Mediterranean SSTA on the Sahel also comprises interannual time scales. Thereby, warm events in the Mediterranean enhance low-level moisture transport across the Sahara to the south, converging in the Sahel with the southwesterly monsoonal flow to increase precipitation. Conversely, cold Mediterranean events are associated to decreased rainfall. Although this teleconnection has been widely described (Rowell 2003; Jung et al. 2006; Fontaine et al. 2010, Gaetani et al. 2010), it has been suggested to be non-stationary over time, getting stronger in some decades compared to others (Fontaine et al. 2011; Rodríguez-Fonseca et al. 2011). Nevertheless, underlying causes for this instability have not yet been found and its clarification would be crucial to improve seasonal predictability of rainfall in the Sahel, with consequent socioeconomic benefits to the region.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Physical Sciences, Department of Earth Physics and Astrophysics, Complutense University of Madrid, Los Molinos, Madrid, Spain

    Roberto Suárez Moreno

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  1. Roberto Suárez Moreno
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Suárez Moreno, R. (2019). Modulation of the Non-stationary Mediterranean-Sahel Teleconnection. In: Interdecadal Changes in Ocean Teleconnections with the Sahel. Springer Theses. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99450-5_9

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