Operational meteorology in West Africa: observational networks, weather analysis and forecasting

A. H. Fink (1) , A. Agustí-Panareda (2) , D. J. Parker (3) , J.-P. Lafore (4) , J.-B. Ngamini (5) , E. Afiesimama (6) , A. Beljaars (2) , Olivier Bock (7, 8) , M. Christoph (1) , F. Didé (9) , C. Faccani (4) , N. Fourrié (4) , F. Karbou (4) , J. Polcher (10) , Z. Mumba , M. Nuret (4) , S. Pohle (1) , F. Rabier (4) , A. M. Tompkins , G. Wilson

1 IGM - Institute for Geophysics and Meteorology [Köln]
2 ECMWF - European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts
3 SEE - School of Earth and Environment [Leeds]
4 CNRM - Centre national de recherches météorologiques
5 ASECNA - Agence pour la sécurité de la navigation aérienne en Afrique et à Madagascar
6 NIMET - Nigerian Meteorological Agency
7 SPACE - LATMOS
8 LAREG - LAboratoire de Recherche en Géodésie
9 Agence nationale de la météorologie du Bénin
10 LMD - Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique (UMR 8539)

Real-time surface and upper-air observations are crucial to the analysis and forecasting of the West African monsoon (WAM). This paper will focus on the African Monsoon--Multidisciplinary Analyses (AMMA)-driven reactivation and modernisation of the radiosonde network over West Africa, its potential long-term impact on upper-air operations in the region, the influence of the additional data in WAM analyses and forecasting, and the AMMA-related development and usage of the West African Analysis/Forecasting (WASA/F) forecast method.

Mots clés: Weather analysis; Radiosonde network; Forecasting; West Africa

Domaines: Milieux et Changements globaux; Climatologie; Météorologie

A. H. Fink, A. Agustí-Panareda, D. J. Parker, J.-P. Lafore, J.-B. Ngamini, et al.. Operational meteorology in West Africa: observational networks, weather analysis and forecasting. Atmospheric Science Letters, 2011, 12 (1), pp.135-141. ⟨10.1002/asl.324⟩. ⟨hal-00572981⟩