TITLE:
Projected Changes in the Climate Zoning of Côte d’Ivoire
AUTHORS:
Mamadou Diarrassouba, Adama Diawara, Assi Louis Martial Yapo, Benjamin Komenan Kouassi, Fidèle Yoroba, Kouakou Kouadio, Dro Touré Tiemoko, Dianikoura Ibrahim Koné, Arona Diedhiou
KEYWORDS:
Climate Projection, Climate Zone, Principal Component Analysis, Hierarchical Classification on Principal Components, CORDEX, Côte d’Ivoire
JOURNAL NAME:
Atmospheric and Climate Sciences,
Vol.14 No.1,
January
15,
2024
ABSTRACT: This study assesses the
projected changes in the climate zoning of C?te d’Ivoire using the hierarchical
classification of principal components (HCPC) method applied to the daily
precipitation data of an ensemble of 14 CORDEX-AFRICA simulations under RCP4.5
and RCP8.5 scenarios. The results indicate the existence of three climate zones
in C?te d’Ivoire (the coastal, the centre and the north) over the historical
period (1981-2005). Moreover, CORDEX simulations project an extension of the
surface area of drier climatic zones while a reduction of wetter zones,
associated with the appearance of an intermediate climate zone with surface
area varying from 77,560 km2 to 134,960 km2 depending on
the period and the scenario. These results highlight the potential impacts of
climate change on the delimitation of the climate zones of C?te d’Ivoire under
the greenhouse gas emission scenarios. Thus, there is a reduction in the
surface areas suitable for the production of cash crops such as cocoa and
coffee. This could hinder the country’s economy and development, mainly based
on these cash crops.