Enhancement of interdecadal climate variability in the Sahel by vegetation interaction.
Abstract
The role of naturally varying vegetation in influencing the climate variability in the West African Sahel is explored in a coupled atmosphere-land-vegetation model. The Sahel rainfall variability is influenced by sea-surface temperature variations in the oceans. Land-surface feedback is found to increase this variability both on interannual and interdecadal time scales. Interactive vegetation enhances the interdecadal variation substantially but can reduce year-to-year variability because of a phase lag introduced by the relatively slow vegetation adjustment time. Variations in vegetation accompany the changes in rainfall, in particular the multidecadal drying trend from the 1950s to the 1980s.
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Through its impacts on soil moisture, vegetation, and albedo, the rainfall received during a given year affects the likelihood of drought the following year, acting to enhance decadal-multidecadal variations of Sahel rainfall.
“Through its impacts on soil moisture, vegetation, and albedo, the rainfall received during a given year affects the likelihood of drought the following year, acting to enhance decadal-multidecadal variations of Sahel rainfall (Zeng et al., 1999).”
From The tropical atlantic observing system (2019) · cites this paper as Zeng et al., 1999
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- Authors
- Zeng, N., Neelin, J. D., Lau, K.-M., & Tucker, C. J.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
- Goddard Space Flight Center (US)
- Corresponding author
- Zeng, Ning
- Venue
- Science
- Published
- 1999-11-19
- Volume
- 286
- Issue
- 5444
- Pages
- 1537-1540
- ISSN
- 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
- 1095-9203
- OpenAlex
- W2045368311
- Cited by
- 554
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 22 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 19 · 2017: 21 · 2016: 23 · 2015: 30 · 2014: 23 · 2013: 19 · 2012: 27
- FWCI
- 13.32
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Climate variability and models
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Ecosystem dynamics and resilience
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Hydrology and Drought Analysis
- Keywords
- Sahel climate, interdecadal climate variability, vegetation-climate interactions, land surface feedbacks, sea surface temperature, phase lag, West Africa
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