Mesoscale water cycle within the West African Monsoon
Peugeot, C. ; Guichard, F. ; Bock, O. ; Bouniol, D. ; Chong, M. ; Boone, A. ; Cappelaere, B. ; Gosset, M. ; Besson, L. ; Lemaitre, Y. ; Seguis, L. ; Zannou, A. ; Galle, S. ; Redelsperger, J.-L.
We review the main studies on mesoscale water cycle from the African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis (AMMA) project. The estimations of precipitation and evapotranspiration, which are the coupling terms between the atmosphere and the surface water cycles, are addressed. Advances in the evaluation of the various components of atmospheric and surface water budgets are reported, and the yearly surface budgets for the Benin and Niger AMMA mesoscale sites are given as examples. The major outcomes and limitations of atmosphere-surface model coupling exercises are also reported. The paper concludes with suggestions on the research directions on which the community should make future efforts. Copyright © 2011 Royal Meteorological Society
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