TITLE:
Climate Change and Dynamics of the ITCZ on the Hydro-Climatic Regime of the Northern Ecosystems of the Gulf of Guinea: A Case of the Grand-Lahou Lagoon System
AUTHORS:
Kanakounou Jean-Marie Kone, Vamara Kone, Kouassi Aimé Yao, Kouassi Paul Anoh
KEYWORDS:
Climate Change, Dynamics of the ITCZ, Hydro-Climatic Regime, Grand-Lahou Lagoon System, Coastal Ecosystems
JOURNAL NAME:
Atmospheric and Climate Sciences,
Vol.12 No.4,
September
13,
2022
ABSTRACT: Atmospheric dynamics and
climatology in West Africa are strongly dominated by the
latitudinal migration of the ITCZ which imposes directly or indirectly determinism on coastal ecosystems. Thus, the
Grand-Lahou lagoon system and its watershed are influenced by the ITCZ,
whose seasonal study made it possible to understand its mode of action first on
climatic factors, then hydroclimatic, and finally hydrological in the context of global changes. The study of
these factors showed a differentiated impact of its migration on the hydrological regime defining a new configuration of the
lagoon system and beyond; the coastal ecosystems of the northern coast of the
Gulf of Guinea irrigated by numerous fluvial inputs. Salinity, a hydrological parameter of critical ecosystem importance, combined with
transparency and depth, has enabled the spatio-temporal
description of hydrology. To do this, a series of monthly measurements (in-situ) for spatial coverage of 25
stations was tested. Long before that, the climatic and hydroclimatic
parameters were obtained respectively at SODEXAM, the meteorological
site earth.nullschool.net and ONADE. This study brought together the dynamics
of the ITCZ and the hydrological system of the lagoon.