Climate impacts of environmental degradation in Sudan |
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| Authors: | Nadir Ahmed Elagib Martin G Mansell |
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| Institution: | (1) Division of Civil Engineering and Construction, University of Paisley, High Street, Paisley, PA1 2BE, Scotland, U.K. |
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| Abstract: | There exists an impressive amount of work for Sudan showing the anthropogenic degradation of natural vegetation cover. However,
there are few examples of consequent climatic changes in literature. This work, thus, seeks to assess such effects of environmental
forcing on various climatic patterns over the past few decades. Within the frame of the present analysis, the results are
quite striking and are in concordance with scientific contentions that such land degradation could result in climatic modification.
Higher temperature and less rainfall, sunshine duration and global radiation have been noticed. Evapotranspiration has responded
more to the warming and drying conditions, thus showed signs of increasing rates, especially during the wet season. However,
the extent of increase seems to have been suppressed by the decrease in sunshine duration and solar radiation as well as the
inconsistent behaviour of wind speed. Changes in the variability of the within-year monthly observations have also occurred,
thus suggesting an increase in the occurrence of extremes. The observed climatic modification in the country has exaggerated
the insidious drought conditions. The present findings are hoped to contribute to our understanding of the effects of environmental
problem and assist in considering policy responses.
This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date. |
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| Keywords: | climatic changes climate variability environmental degradation aridity Sudan |
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