Draft:AMMA Program

{{Short description|West African climate research program}}

{{Draft topics|africa|stem}}

{{AfC topic|stem}}

{{AfC submission|||ts=20250622122746|u=Kofi Meija|ns=118}}

{{Draft article}}

{{no footnotes|date=June 2025}}

The AMMA program (Multidisciplinary Analysis of the African Monsoon) is an international climate research initiative focused on the region stretching from the Sahel to the Gulf of Guinea. Its main objective is to improve understanding of the currently unpredictable nature of the West African monsoon.{{Cite journal |last1=Redelsperger |first1=Jean-Luc |last2=Thorncroft |first2=Chris D. |last3=Diedhiou |first3=Arona |last4=Lebel |first4=Thierry |last5=Parker |first5=Douglas J. |last6=Polcher |first6=Jan |date=2006-12-01 |title=African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis: An International Research Project and Field Campaign |url=https://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/10.1175/BAMS-87-12-1739 |journal=Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society |language=en |volume=87 |issue=12 |pages=1739–1746 |doi=10.1175/BAMS-87-12-1739 |bibcode=2006BAMS...87.1739R |issn=0003-0007}}{{Cite web |title=NOAA/AOML AMMA - General Information |url=https://www.aoml.noaa.gov/phod/amma/generalinfo/index.php |access-date=2025-06-22 |website=www.aoml.noaa.gov}}{{Cite journal |last1=Polcher |first1=Jan |last2=Parker |first2=Douglas J. |last3=Gaye |first3=Amadou T. |date=2011 |title=African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis: an integrated project for understanding of the West African climate system and its human dimension |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/asl.331 |journal=Atmospheric Science Letters |language=en |volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=1 |doi=10.1002/asl.331 |bibcode=2011AtScL..12....1P |issn=1530-261X}}{{cite report|title=African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis (AMMA) |author1=Chris Thorncroft |author2= AMMA-International Scientific Steering Committee |publisher=World Bank

|date=2011 |url=https://www.atmos.albany.edu/facstaff/chris/Worldbank-2011.pdf |access-date=2025-06-22 |type=Report |location=Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, University at Albany, SUNY

}}{{Cite journal |last1=Waliser |first1=Duane E. |last2=Moncrieff |first2=Mitchell W. |last3=Burridge |first3=David |last4=Fink |first4=Andreas H. |last5=Gochis |first5=Dave |last6=Goswami |first6=B. N. |last7=Guan |first7=Bin |last8=Harr |first8=Patrick |last9=Heming |first9=Julian |last10=Hsu |first10=Huang-Hsuing |last11=Jakob |first11=Christian |last12=Janiga |first12=Matt |last13=Johnson |first13=Richard |last14=Jones |first14=Sarah |last15=Knippertz |first15=Peter |date=2012-08-01 |title=The "Year" of Tropical Convection (May 2008–April 2010): Climate Variability and Weather Highlights |url=https://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/10.1175/2011BAMS3095.1 |journal=Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society |language=en |volume=93 |issue=8 |pages=1189–1218 |doi=10.1175/2011BAMS3095.1 |bibcode=2012BAMS...93.1189W |issn=1520-0477}} The program also incorporates a societal dimension—studying daily life in the West African monsoon region—and aims to support decision-making by local authorities.{{Cite web |last=Environment |first=Faculty of |title=The African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis for 2050 (AMMA-2050) project: The University of Leeds helps advise on future climate change over West Africa. |url=https://environment.leeds.ac.uk/see-research-innovation/dir-record/research-projects/865/the-african-monsoon-multidisciplinary-analysis-for-2050-amma-2050-project-the-university-of-leeds-helps-advise-on-future-climate-change-over-west-africa |access-date=2025-06-22 |website=environment.leeds.ac.uk |language=en}}

The first phase of AMMA took place from 2002 to 2009,{{Cite web |title=African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis - Atmospheric Chemistry (AMMA-AC), 2002 - 2012 {{!}} IGAC |url=https://igacproject.org/activities/african-monsoon-multidisciplinary-analysis-atmospheric-chemistry-amma-ac-2002-2012 |access-date=2025-06-22 |website=igacproject.org}} while a second phase was launched in 2010 and planned to span ten years.

West Africa's meteorological significance was long underestimated globally. However, the region is the origin of African easterly waves, which can develop into Atlantic hurricanes that move toward Central America and influence weather patterns in Europe.

Political instability and humanitarian crises in West Africa over the past two decades severely impacted the region's meteorological infrastructure, leaving local networks unable to ensure public safety or meet their data-sharing obligations with the global scientific community.

The project's goals include not only understanding the dramatic variations in rainfall across the Sahel from 1970 to 1995, but also identifying the geophysical and human-driven mechanisms involved in the West African monsoon system.{{cite thesis|last=Diedhiou |first=Arona |title=Contribution à l'étude de la variabilité pluviométrique en Afrique de l'Ouest: interactions ondes-convection-pluie |type=Habilitation à diriger des recherches |publisher=Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 |date=2009 |url=https://horizon.documentation.ird.fr/exl-doc/pleins_textes/2024-12/010084887.pdf |access-date=2025-06-22 |language=fr |degree=Sciences de la Planète}}

AMMA brings together more than 100 laboratories from Africa, Europe, and North America, and involves over 600 researchers.

The year 2006 marked a period of intensive observation, featuring six research aircraft, three oceanographic research vessels, and instrumented weather balloons. These assets were deployed to collect detailed data on atmospheric flows, ocean salinity, and marine currents.{{Cite journal |last1=Cairo |first1=F. |last2=Pommereau |first2=J. P. |last3=Law |first3=K. S. |last4=Schlager |first4=H. |last5=Garnier |first5=A. |last6=Fierli |first6=F. |last7=Ern |first7=M. |last8=Streibel |first8=M. |last9=Arabas |first9=S. |last10=Borrmann |first10=S. |last11=Berthelier |first11=J. J. |last12=Blom |first12=C. |last13=Christensen |first13=T. |last14=D'Amato |first14=F. |last15=Di Donfrancesco |first15=G. |date=2010-03-03 |title=An introduction to the SCOUT-AMMA stratospheric aircraft, balloons and sondes campaign in West Africa, August 2006: rationale and roadmap |url=https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/10/2237/2010/ |journal=Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |language=en |volume=10 |issue=5 |pages=2237–2256 |doi=10.5194/acp-10-2237-2010 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2010ACP....10.2237C |issn=1680-7324}}

The program's third major conference was held in Ouagadougou in late July 2009.{{cite journal|title=CLIVAR Exchanges Newsletter |journal=Climate Variability and Predictability Programme (CLIVAR) |volume=13 |number=4 |date=October 2008 |publisher=World Climate Research Programme (WCRP)|url=https://www.clivar.org/sites/default/files/documents/Exchanges47.pdf |access-date=2025-06-22}}