what causes the drought cycles in africa

likar July 02, 2022 cycles , drought , in , wallpaper Comment

Southern Africa suffered extensive drought in 2019. However some potential causes of drought in Africa include climate change over-pumping of water resources and a lack of rain.

The Causes Of Droughts In Africa How Can We Fight Drought Justdiggit

A drought is caused by drier than normal conditions that can eventually lead to water supply problems.

. Areas that rely on rainfall and surface water are more likely to experience drought. Particularly affected are East. A drought is a period of drier-than-normal conditions that results in water-related problems.

Droughts occur when prolonged periods of drier-than-average weather lead to shortages in water supplies The extent of droughts can vary by region and long periods of drought can have widespread effects on the lives of children and families around the world. Common Effects of Droughts. Fewer cloud bands occur and rainfall is diminished Harrison 1986.

Increases in temperature have the potential to cause more frequent and severe droughts which puts climate change in the crosshairs as a major cause of drought in the present day. What is a drought and what are the causes. Accordingly drought is a natural event arising due to less precipitation than expected thus defining the intricacies witnessed when the demands for water supply are higher than the available water for some activity humans or the environment.

In the deserts of the Southwest the average precipitation is less than 3 inches per year. Briefly low-phase years of the El Nino Southern Oscillation are accompanied by reductions in heat release and convection over tropical southern Africa caused by adjustments in the Walker Circulation and a retarded number of tropical-temperate troughs across South Africa. Scientists are uncertain about how climate change will affect ENSO but the stakes are high.

The basics of climate change is that the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere causes global temperatures to increase leading to excessive moisture evaporation from land and water bodies. Poverty in Africa is increasing as a result of these wars. Devastating floods and extraordinary drought periods lead to crop failures.

Recently the 20102011 Horn of Africa drought caused a wide range of dire situations in the region Viste et al 2013. As the meteorological mechanisms that cause drought make clear. In addition warming in the East African.

Quickly evaporating rainwater CThe jet streak D. Really hot temperatures can make a drought worse by causing moisture to evaporate from the soil. Surface water quickly evaporates in warm dry conditions leading to an increased risk of drought.

Around 40 of the overall population in the Horn of Africa is undernourished when there is insufficient food intake for a person to be healthy and fight illnesses but in some countries such as Somalia that figure soars to 70i. What causes a drought. Ayana et al 2016.

The risk of drought in southern Africaincluding Botswana aboveincreases by 120 percent in an El Niño year. Just because a region is hot and dry doesnt necessarily mean it is going through a drought. Unfortunately in addition to these phenomena emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities have led to serious droughts amplified by global warming.

If the regions weather patterns are disrupted enough to cause drought the lack of rainfall and eventual loss of moisture from soil often results in a noteworthy decline in Southern Africas agricultural production. What causes the drought cycles in Africa. A drought can carry various implications.

The resulting detrimental economic conditions lead to social unrest and a decline in the level of regional food security. They are partly caused by geophysical phenomena that make the continents humidity fluctuate. Malaria epidemics often occur after periods of unusually heavy rainfall.

As climate change is predicted to increase drought conditions throughout more areas of the planet all of humanity will be challenged to change our relationship with water from one that we take for granted to one of respect conservation and protection 13. Rainfall or Precipitation Deficiency. In contrast the Greater Horn of Africa shifted from very dry conditions in 2018 and most of 2019 to floods and landslides associated with heavy rainfall in late 2019.

Subsequently it influenced the potentials of an ecosystem 5 and resulted in water stress desertification land degradation and erosion 6. La Niña conditions have ended and FEWS NET predicts normal rains for East Africa later in the year though it will take far longer for the region to recover. Abnormal fluctuations in temperature correspond to abnormal variations in precipitation.

The issue of water scarcity in Africa is one that we all can learn from. Additionally some potential consequences of drought include a decrease in crop production a rise in food prices and a loss of jobs. The amount of precipitation at a particular location varies from year to year but over a period of years the average amount is fairly constant.

In some countries such as Somalia Kenya and Ethiopia drought has been one of the main reasons for socio-economic instabilities OLoughlin et al 2012. The African continent has been suffering more and more from climate change in recent decades. La Niña shifts ocean temperatures and air pressure over the Pacific Ocean and its effects ripple through weather patterns around the world.

Plant and animal life are similarly affected. A lack of water in stores such as rivers lakes reservoirs and aquifers water stored underground naturally can lead to drought. Drought is threatening the lives of millions of children with a direct impact on their health.

The impacts of ENSO are felt worldwide in part because the position of the jet stream changes which influences storm tracks. The consequences are regular hunger crises and famine in Africa. This type of malnourishment makes children far more vulnerable to.

The African drought cycles have a noticeable natural component. In contrast the average precipitation in the Northwest is more. In East Africa La Niña causes drought.

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