NEW YORK, Oct. 10 (UPI) -- A strong link has been confirmed between sea surface temperatures and precipitation in Africa's semi-arid Sahel region.
According to a new study published in the journal Science Oct. 9, it was not known previously how much land use changes might have led to the region's recent history of prolonged drought or whether variability in ocean temperatures was the driver of the region's climate.
But the new study finds "pervasive evidence" sea surface temperatures, particularly in the Indian Ocean, are the most powerful indicators of precipitation in the Sahel.
The study was co-authored by Alessandra Giannini, a climate expert with the International Research Institute for Climate Prediction at Columbia University.
If oceanic warming is the primary driver of precipitation in the Sahel, climatologists should be able to measure ocean temperatures and predict the likelihood of future droughts.
The paper's authors wrote, "The recent drying trend in the semi-arid Sahel is attributed to warmer-than-average low latitude waters around Africa which, by favoring the establishment of deep convection over the ocean, weaken the continental convergence associated with the monsoon, and engender widespread drought from Senegal to Ethiopia."
