Sahelzone – Extreme und ihre Folgen

Sahel zone - extremes and their effects: The Sahel is the extensive semi-arid continental region between the humid tropical belt of  Equatorial Africa and the very dry desert-like subtropics of North Africa. The climate of the Sahel is characterised by the contrast  of extreme events such as monsoonal flash floods and long-lasting droughts. The combination of intense rainfall and its absence,  as well as seasonal rainfall that has been almost impossible to predict, poses major challenges for the local population, authorities and politicians in the region. In the urban centre of Dakar, for example, mesoscale convective events (MCS) regularly lead  to frequent flooding, which poses existential challenges, particularly for economically disadvantaged sections of the population  in the urban region. However, there is a lack of observation data that could be used to better record the exact rainfall dynamics.  The region is classified by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) as having far too limited data, meaning that reliable  forecasting potential cannot currently be guaranteed. This chapter outlines some of the key mechanisms that influence the climate  in this region. We provide an overview of measurement campaigns and give an outlook on how the underlying understanding of  extreme events could be improved.