Multi-technique analysis of precipitable water vapor estimates in the sub-Sahel West Africa

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dc.contributor.authorFalaiye OA
dc.contributor.authorAbimbola OJ
dc.contributor.authorPinker RT
dc.contributor.authorPérez-Ramírez D
dc.contributor.authorWilloughby AA
dc.date.accessioned2022-07-26T11:50:19Z
dc.date.available2022-07-26T11:50:19Z
dc.date.issued2018
dc.descriptionHeliyon
dc.description.abstractPrecipitable water vapor (PWV) is an important climate parameter indicative of available moisture in the atmosphere; it is also an important greenhouse gas. Observations of precipitable water vapor in sub-Sahel West Africa are almost non-existent. Several Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) sites have been established across West Africa, and observations from four of them, namely, Ilorin (4.34° E, 8.32° N), Cinzana (5.93° W, 13.28° N), Banizoumbou (2.67° E, 13.54° N) and Dakar (16.96° W, 14.39° N) are being used in this study. Data spanning the period from 2004 to 2014 have been selected; they include conventional humidity parameters, remotely sensed aerosol and precipitable water information and numerical model outputs. Since in Africa, only conventional information on humidity parameters is available, it is important to utilize the unique observations from the AERONET network to calibrate empirical formulas frequently used to estimate precipitable water vapor from humidity measurements. An empirical formula of the form PWV=aTd+b where Td is the surface dew point temperature, a and b are constants, was fitted to the data and is proposed as applicable to the climatic condition of the sub-Sahel. Moreover, we have also used the AERONET information to evaluate the capabilities of well-established numerical weather prediction (NWP) models such as ERA Interim Reanalysis, NCEP-DOE Reanalysis II and NCEP-CFSR, to estimate precipitable water vapor in the sub-Sahel West Africa; it was found that the models tend to overestimate the amount of precipitable water at the selected sites by about 25 %.
dc.identifier.citation10.1016/j.heliyon.2018.e00765
dc.identifier.issn2405-8440
dc.identifier.urihttps://nerd.ethesis.ng/handle/123456789/264
dc.language.isoen
dc.subjectAtmospheric science
dc.subjectEnvironmental science
dc.subjectEarth sciences
dc.titleMulti-technique analysis of precipitable water vapor estimates in the sub-Sahel West Africa
dc.typeArticle
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