AMMA
People: Doug Parker, Cathryn Birch, Barbara Brooks, Luis Garcia-Carreras, Dwayne Heard, Mat Hobby, John Marsham, Jim McQuaid.
Description
AMMA - the African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyis - is an ambitious international collaboration with the aims of improving our understanding of the processes which control the West African monsoon and its impacts. A multidisciplinary field programme involving scientists from 27 different countries has been in place since about 2003, combining long-term monitoring over several seasons with intensive observations which took place in the summer of 2006. The field measurements are being used to test and improve predictive models for the environment and climate of Africa, and for the impact of the African monsoon on the global environment. The programme encompasses a wide range of disciplines ranging from meteorology and climate physics to atmospheric composition, hydrology water resources, agriculture and public health.
Doug Parker has acted as coordinator of AMMA-UK since 2003. The group at Leeds played a leading role in the AMMA field programmes in 2005-2007 and has led the atmospheric dynamics work in AMMA-UK, studying the interactions between the atmosphere and the land surface over West Africa. We have also played a major role in the AMMA programmes related to Atmospheric Chemistry and Composition and Land-atmosphere Interaction. We have shared in a number of AMMA research successes, including the following.
- With colleagues at CEH Wallingford, we have produced the first studies to demonstrate how the African land surface state (e.g. vegetation and soil moisture patterns) can control the development of subsequent rainfall.
Taylor, CM; Parker, DJ; Kalthoff, N; Gaertner, MA; Philippon, N; Bastin, S; Harris, PP; Boone, A; Guichard, F; Agusti-Panareda, A; Baldi, M; Cerlini, P; Descroix, L; Douville, H; Flamant, C; Grandpeix, JY; Polcher, J (2011) New perspectives on land-atmosphere feedbacks from the African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis, ATMOS SCI LETT, 12, pp.38-44. doi:10.1002/asl.336
- We led the first top-down analysis of the pollution budget of an African "mega-city," Lagos.
Hopkins, JR; Evans, MJ; Lee, JD; Lewis, AC; Marsham, JH; McQuaid, JB; Parker, DJ; Stewart, DJ; Reeves, CE; Purvis, RM (2009) Direct estimates of emissions from the megacity of Lagos, ATMOS CHEM PHYS, 9, pp.8471-8477.
- We have collaborated with French scientists at IPSL in Paris, to develop a new understanding of the role of the Sahara in controlling the weather and climate of West Africa.
Flamant, C; Chaboureau, JP; Parker, DJ; Taylor, CA; Cammas, JP; Bock, O; Timouk, F; Pelon, J (2007) Airborne observations of the impact of a convective system on the planetary boundary layer thermodynamics and aerosol distribution in the inter-tropical discontinuity region of the West African Monsoon, Q J ROY METEOR SOC, 133, pp.1175-1189. doi:10.1002/qj.97
- We have also played a leading role in the education and capacity-building aspects of AMMA, working closely with West African agencies to improve the climate monitoring networks, and the training of African scientists.
Parker, DJ; Fink, A; Janicot, S; Ngamini, JB; Douglas, M; Afiesimama, E; Agusti-Panareda, A; Beljaars, A; Dide, F; Diedhiou, A; Lebel, T; Polcher, J; Redelsperger, JL; Thorncroft, C; Wilson, GA (2008) THE AMMA RADIOSONDE PROGRAM AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR THE FUTURE OF ATMOSPHERIC MONITORING OVER AFRICA, B AM METEOROL SOC, 89, pp.1015-1027. doi:10.1175/2008BAMS2436.1
Our continuing work on AMMA involves translating the understanding obtained from the observations, to improvements in weather and climate prediction models for the region. In this work we are collaborating closely with the Met Office and CEH Wallingford.
Funded by: NERC and the EU
Start Date: 2004
End Date: 2013
Links
http://www.amma-international.org/
http://amma.mediasfrance.org/
http://www.ird.ne/partenariat/ammanet/enindex.html
http://www.amma-eu.org/
For more information on AMMA, please contact Doug Parker.