Solar Radiation Management interactions with Harmattan and climate variables over Southern West Africa
Host institution University of Ghana
Grant year 2023
Project summary
Prof. Nana Ama Browne Klutse and her team will examine will investigate how dust concentrations, particularly during the Harmattan season, influence West Africa’s climate through cooling, localised warming, and cloud dynamics. Building on previous findings that showed surface cooling and localised warming from Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI), the project will analyse the duration and effects of dust-induced cooling using satellite datasets (MODIS, MISR, MERRA-2), ground-based meteorological observations, and reanalysis data (ERA5). Seasonal decomposition and trend analyses will isolate Harmattan effects, while correlations between dust, temperature, solar radiation, and humidity will clarify dust climate interactions. GIS mapping will reveal regional patterns of dust-related cooling and associated health risks. Using the WRF-Chem model, simulations will assess atmospheric dust dynamics under various emission scenarios and compare them with SAI impacts (ARISE-SAI). This research will enhance understanding of dust-driven climate variability in West Africa and build local modelling capacity through the inclusion of a graduate student.
