Dust-rainfall feedbacks in the West African Sahel

Wanching Jacquie Hui; Benjamin I. Cook; Sujith Ravi; José D. Fuentes; Paolo D'Odorico

doi:10.1029/2008WR006885

Dust-rainfall feedbacks in the West African Sahel

Wanching Jacquie Hui, Benjamin I. Cook, Sujith Ravi, José D. Fuentes, Paolo D'Odorico

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56 Scopus citations

Abstract

Dust aerosols can suppress rainfall by increasing the number of cloud condensation nuclei in warm clouds and affecting the surface radiation budget and boundary layer instability. The extent to which atmospheric dust may affect precipitation yields and the hydrologic cycle in semiarid regions remains poorly understood. We investigate the relationship between dust aerosols and rainfall in the West African Sahel where the dust-rainfall feedback has been speculated to contribute to sustained droughts. We find that the amount of dust loadings is negatively correlated with rainfall values, suggesting that dust entrained in the atmosphere can significantly inhibit rainfall in this region.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	W05202
Journal	Water Resources Research
Volume	44
Issue number	5
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1029/2008WR006885
State	Published - May 2008

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

Water Science and Technology

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10.1029/2008WR006885

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title = "Dust-rainfall feedbacks in the West African Sahel",

abstract = "Dust aerosols can suppress rainfall by increasing the number of cloud condensation nuclei in warm clouds and affecting the surface radiation budget and boundary layer instability. The extent to which atmospheric dust may affect precipitation yields and the hydrologic cycle in semiarid regions remains poorly understood. We investigate the relationship between dust aerosols and rainfall in the West African Sahel where the dust-rainfall feedback has been speculated to contribute to sustained droughts. We find that the amount of dust loadings is negatively correlated with rainfall values, suggesting that dust entrained in the atmosphere can significantly inhibit rainfall in this region.",

author = "Hui, {Wanching Jacquie} and Cook, {Benjamin I.} and Sujith Ravi and Fuentes, {Jos{\'e} D.} and Paolo D'Odorico",

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T1 - Dust-rainfall feedbacks in the West African Sahel

AU - Hui, Wanching Jacquie

AU - Cook, Benjamin I.

AU - Ravi, Sujith

AU - Fuentes, José D.

AU - D'Odorico, Paolo

PY - 2008/5

Y1 - 2008/5

N2 - Dust aerosols can suppress rainfall by increasing the number of cloud condensation nuclei in warm clouds and affecting the surface radiation budget and boundary layer instability. The extent to which atmospheric dust may affect precipitation yields and the hydrologic cycle in semiarid regions remains poorly understood. We investigate the relationship between dust aerosols and rainfall in the West African Sahel where the dust-rainfall feedback has been speculated to contribute to sustained droughts. We find that the amount of dust loadings is negatively correlated with rainfall values, suggesting that dust entrained in the atmosphere can significantly inhibit rainfall in this region.

AB - Dust aerosols can suppress rainfall by increasing the number of cloud condensation nuclei in warm clouds and affecting the surface radiation budget and boundary layer instability. The extent to which atmospheric dust may affect precipitation yields and the hydrologic cycle in semiarid regions remains poorly understood. We investigate the relationship between dust aerosols and rainfall in the West African Sahel where the dust-rainfall feedback has been speculated to contribute to sustained droughts. We find that the amount of dust loadings is negatively correlated with rainfall values, suggesting that dust entrained in the atmosphere can significantly inhibit rainfall in this region.

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Dust-rainfall feedbacks in the West African Sahel

Abstract

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