Africa: Hotter Sahara could mean more rain for Sahel

Rising temperatures in the Sahara desert could reduce drought in the Sahel region immediately south of it, say researchers. The findings, published in Geophysical Research Letters this month (10 September), add to a growing body of research on how climate change might affect the continent. Reindert Haarsma and colleagues of the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute used a computer model to predict the effects of rising temperatures on rainfall over Africa. They say their study is the first to consider the roles of both land and sea surface temperatures. The model suggests that if emissions of greenhouse gases are not reduced, higher temperatures over the Sahara would cause 1-2 millimetres of extra daily rainfall in the Sahel by 2080 during the months from July to September.