On the potential impact of the Great Green Wall on the West African Monsoon

The Great GreenWall (GGW) is a multibillion-dollar African initiative to combat desertification and drought in the Sahel.  In Western Africa, the most important climate feature is the West African Monsoon (WAM), which brings rainfall over the Sahel during the Northern Hemisphere summer. Changes in WAM strength and length could impact climate both regionally and far afield, such as the tropical Atlantic, equatorial Pacific or the Arctic, Potential climatic system response to a greener Sahel are investigated, by means of an atmospheric climate model, looking at changes in the regional atmospheric circulation and climate indices aimed at providing information about changes in extreme events. The analysis shows significant changes in temperature, precipitation and atmopsheric circulation and in the climate indices considered related to the presence of the GGW for the end of this century.