CLIVAR-GEWEX Africa Climate Panel

About Us

The African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis (AMMA) Observation sites. AMMA is an international project to improve our knowledge and understanding of the West African Monsoon (WAM) and its variability. AMMA is motivated by an interest in fundamental scientific issues and by the societal need for improved prediction of the West African Monsoon and its impacts on West African nations. The panel are also involved with projects such as SAGRADEX in Southern Africa and East African initiatives.

 

Terms of Reference

  1. Develop and refine a VACS implementation plan, based on the work of the CAWG (CLIVAR Africa Working Group) and CATT, to diagnose the variability and predictability of African climate and its relationship to the global climate system. This plan should take into account the objectives listed below in points 2-9.
  2. Prepare requirements for limited-period and sustained observations in support of the CLIVAR Programme in and around the African continent; establish links with, and present the requirements to, the other major climate-observing programs (e.g. GCOSWWWGOOS, etc).
  3. Promote and coordinate efforts for evaluations and improvements of model simulations (e.g., AMIPCMIPIPCC, etc.) for the African region.
  4. Promote development of African climate databases and foster access thereto for research purposes in cooperation with projects such as CLICOM, DARE, INFOCLIMA, etc.
  5. Promote the involvement of African scientists within VACS and the use of VACS products in capacity building activities.
  6. Develop cooperative investigations with other CLIVAR groups and national, regional or international research programs and organizations interested in this area of research.
  7. Develop links with programs and organizations interested in the application of VACS research (e.g. CLIPS, and START) and, as far as feasible, integrate requirements of these programs and organizations into VACS.
  8. Execute the VACS implementation plan and measure the success of the plan against stated objectives.
  9. Report to the CLIVAR SSG as required on progress and problems in developing and implementing the VACS plan.

Africa Climate Network

VACS Climate Atlas

The CLIVAR VACS panel had the idea of developing a climate atlas with a focus on the observed and modelled climate of Africa.

African Regional Climate Outlook Fora (RCOFs)

Regional Climate Outlook Fora, part of the WMO Climate Information and Prediction Services (CLIPS) project, are active in several parts of the world, routinely providing real-time regional climate outlook products.

Afica Panel Members

Name Role Institute Country
Richard Washington Co-Chair 2013 University of Oxford UK
Arame Tall Co-Chair 2014 Red Cross/Red Crescent Climate Center, University Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar (UCAD) Senegal
Mohamed Kadi Member 2014 Africa Center for Meteorological Applications for Development (ACMAD) Niger
Simon Mason Member 2014 International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI) USA
Mathieu Rouault Member 2014 University of Cape Town South Africa
Mxolisi Shongwe Member 2014 South African Weather Service South Africa
Fred Semazzi Member 2014 North Carolina State University USA
Peter Lamb Member 2014 NOAA Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies, University of Oklahoma USA
Joseph Mutemi Member 2014 University of Nairobi Kenya
Richard Anyah Member 2014 University of Connecticut USA
Ernest Afiesimama Member 2014 Nigerian Meteorological Agency Nigeria

The ICPO contact for the CLIVAR African Climate Panel is Anna Pirani.