A Review of the arctic-West African monsoon nexus: How arctic sea ice decline influences monsoon system

The West African Monsoon (WAM) is a crucial component of the regional climate system, affecting agriculture, water resources and livelihoods across West Africa. Recent studies have suggested that changes in Arctic sea ice extent, driven primarily by anthropogenic climate change, could exert signific...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Theoretical and applied climatology 2025, Vol.156 (1), p.9
Main Authors: Datti, Aminu Dalhatu, Zeng, Gang, Monerie, Paul-Arthur, Oo, Kyaw Than, Chen, Chen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ablation
African monsoon
Anthropogenic climate changes
Anthropogenic factors
Aquatic Pollution
Arctic sea ice
Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution
Atmospheric Sciences
Climate change
Climate models
Climate system
Climate variability
Climatology
Earth and Environmental Science
Earth Sciences
Human influences
Ice melting
Livelihoods
Monsoons
Ocean circulation
Rain
Regional climates
Review
Sea ice
Waste Water Technology
Water Management
Water Pollution Control
Water resources
Wind
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Summary:The West African Monsoon (WAM) is a crucial component of the regional climate system, affecting agriculture, water resources and livelihoods across West Africa. Recent studies have suggested that changes in Arctic sea ice extent, driven primarily by anthropogenic climate change, could exert significant influences on the behaviour of the WAM. This review paper summarises the current state of knowledge on how Arctic sea ice melt has affected the WAM system over the last decades. Utilizing observations data and modelling studies aim at enhancing our understanding of the influence of Artic sea ice loss on WAM. This paper also explores the mechanisms driving the connections between Arctic sea ice melting and the WAM, discusses the potential implications for regional climate variability, and identifies key challenges and opportunities for future research in this important area of study.
ISSN:0177-798X
1434-4483
DOI:10.1007/s00704-024-05255-4