Background

More than 500 million people live in West and Northern Africa, a region stretching from the Gulf of Guinea in the west to the Red Sea in the east and covering areas such as the Sahara desert and the Sahel. The Sahara is the most extensive desert on Earth and the main emission source of mineral dust into the atmosphere. Airborne dust does not only affect the desert itself, but, especially in winter and spring, is dragged to densely populated areas of the Sahel and the Gulf of Guinea, where it causes a deep deterioration of air quality and triggers serious health problems. High concentrations of dust also affect agriculture, aviation, due to the drastic reduction in visibility, and other socio-economic sectors.

Workshop Objectives

The first part of the workshop will be dedicated to the forecast products and a Sand and Dust Warning Advisory System developed in the Barcelona Dust Regional Center for Cabo Verde and other African countries and how to use these products in the daily work routine of a weather forecaster team. The second part will be focused on the instrumentation provided by the project, namely a hand-held photometer and a PM sensor already installed in INMG premises.

Participants

Meteorologists and technicians of INMG

Funding

Activity 85% co-financed by European Regional Developing Fund (ERDF)

© Photograph: NOAA