LMI ECLAIRS2
Integrated climate and ocean studies in West Africa, and responses to climate change in Senegal
The first phase of the ECLAIRS LMI (2012-2016, ‘ECLAIRS-1’) enabled the intensification of fundamental and operational research in the fields of oceanography and regional climatology in West Africa, drawing on a partnership network between France, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire and Benin. In addition to improving fundamental scientific knowledge and understanding of climate mechanisms, ECLAIRS-1 established high-quality doctoral training and set up observation and numerical modelling platforms.
The LMI ECLAIRS 2, refocused on a Franco-Senegalese partnership, is a continuation of this first phase focusing on the ocean-climate interface. From a scientific point of view, the mechanisms underlying the two key phenomena of the Senegalese climate and environment, namely the West African monsoon and coastal upwelling, need to be better understood. These mechanisms will be studied in their entirety, but also taking into account regional specificities: the seasonality of upwelling in Senegal and the particularities of the coastline, the zonally oriented ocean-continent contrast and its consequences for the monsoon in Senegal. This research will contribute to understanding and anticipating the effects of climate change in Senegal, in close collaboration with local agencies and operational structures, with the aim of helping to establish and consolidate climate services on different time scales and covering both oceanic and continental areas.
The research will therefore be organised around three scientific areas (A: Ocean and interactions, B: Atmosphere and continental surfaces, C: Towards Climate Services). The third area draws on the first two to meet the needs of stakeholders and strengthen their capacity to adapt to climate change.
Targeted societal impacts:
This project will contribute to consolidating scientific excellence in Senegal on the theme of climate, coordinating the university courses offered, and coordinating the initiatives developed by the various partner agencies to develop a service for anticipating and combating climate change.
<blockquote><a href=”https://eclairs2.ird.fr/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>More informations on the LMI ECLAIRS2 website</a></blockquote>
