Sahara and Sahel vulnerability to climate changes, lessons from Holocene hydrological data

A.-M. Lézine; C. Hély; C. Grenier; P. Braconnot; G. Krinner

doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2011.07.006

Journal articles

Sahara and Sahel vulnerability to climate changes, lessons from Holocene hydrological data

A.-M. Lézine ¹ C. Hély ² C. Grenier ^{1, 3} P. Braconnot ^{1, 4} G. Krinner ⁵

1 LSCE - Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement [Gif-sur-Yvette]

2 CEREGE - Centre européen de recherche et d'enseignement des géosciences de l'environnement

3 HYDRO - Modélisation Hydrologique

LSCE - Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement [Gif-sur-Yvette] : DRF/LSCE

4 MERMAID - Modelling the Earth Response to Multiple Anthropogenic Interactions and Dynamics

LSCE - Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement [Gif-sur-Yvette] : DRF/LSCE

5 CLIPS

LGGE - Laboratoire de glaciologie et géophysique de l'environnement

Abstract : The examination of more than 1500 paleohydrological dated records collected between 10 and 28°N during the last 50 years have been used to improve our knowledge and understanding of the Sahara and Sahel vulnerability to the Atlantic monsoon changes in the long-term. We have analyzed the distribution of water bodies (mainly lakes and wetlands) over time and space: the central Saharan massifs played a major role in favoring water supply to the lowlands throughout the whole African Humid Period. In addition, distinct East-West dynamics is recorded with humidity starting - and stopping - several millennia earlier to the east than to the west of the Sahara. A series of time lags are discussed: (1) between the maximum of deep (fresh water) lake formation during the early Holocene and the maximum of water body extensions during the mid-Holocene which highlight the primary role of aquifer water level in lake response to climate change (2) between the hydrological history of the Sahara and the Sahel and the forcings - mainly insolation changes - during the early and mid-Holocene which involves complex interactions between remnant ice sheet in the Northern Hemisphere, open water bodies in the Sahara and Sahel and the Atlantic monsoon system.

Keywords : Vulnerability Sahel Paleohydrology Groundwaters Atlantic monsoon Holocene humid period Sahara

Document type :

Journal articles

Domain :

Sciences of the Universe [physics] / Earth Sciences / Geomorphology

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Submitted on : Thursday, December 1, 2011 - 2:19:09 PM
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Sahara and Sahel vulnerability to climate changes, lessons from Holocene hydrological data

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Sahara and Sahel vulnerability to climate changes, lessons from Holocene hydrological data

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