Book contents
- Meteorology and Climate of the Southern Hemisphere
- Meteorology and Climate of the Southern Hemisphere
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Foreword
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Dedication to Harry van Loon
- 1 General Circulation and Climate Dynamics of the Southern Hemisphere Troposphere
- 2 The Stratosphere in the Southern Hemisphere
- 3 Stratosphere–Troposphere Coupling in the Southern Hemisphere
- 4 Role of the Oceans in Southern Hemisphere Climate
- 5 Meteorology and Climate of the Tropics in the Southern Hemisphere
- 6 Meteorology of the Southern Hemisphere Extratropics
- 7 Meteorology and Climate of Antarctica
- 8 Meteorology and Climate of South America and Surrounding Oceans
- 9 Meteorology and Climate of the African Region South of the Equator
- 10 Meteorology and Climate of Australasia and the Pacific Islands
- 11 Interannual and Intraseasonal Variability in the Southern Hemisphere
- 12 Climate Change and Low-Frequency Climate Variability
- 13 Climate Modelling Challenges and Prospects in the Southern Hemisphere
- Glossary
- Acronyms
- Index
- References
9 - Meteorology and Climate of the African Region South of the Equator
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 December 2025
Book contents
- Meteorology and Climate of the Southern Hemisphere
- Meteorology and Climate of the Southern Hemisphere
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Foreword
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Dedication to Harry van Loon
- 1 General Circulation and Climate Dynamics of the Southern Hemisphere Troposphere
- 2 The Stratosphere in the Southern Hemisphere
- 3 Stratosphere–Troposphere Coupling in the Southern Hemisphere
- 4 Role of the Oceans in Southern Hemisphere Climate
- 5 Meteorology and Climate of the Tropics in the Southern Hemisphere
- 6 Meteorology of the Southern Hemisphere Extratropics
- 7 Meteorology and Climate of Antarctica
- 8 Meteorology and Climate of South America and Surrounding Oceans
- 9 Meteorology and Climate of the African Region South of the Equator
- 10 Meteorology and Climate of Australasia and the Pacific Islands
- 11 Interannual and Intraseasonal Variability in the Southern Hemisphere
- 12 Climate Change and Low-Frequency Climate Variability
- 13 Climate Modelling Challenges and Prospects in the Southern Hemisphere
- Glossary
- Acronyms
- Index
- References
Summary
This chapter reviews the recent literature on the meteorology and climate of the African region in the Southern Hemisphere focusing on key features of circulation and its seasonal shifts, including the rain-bearing weather systems. It is only in the very recent literature that several very important regional circulation features have been documented in detail. These advances have been aided by more accurate reanalyses, high-resolution satellite observations, and models, augmenting vast areas of sparse surface and upper-air observations in the African region. The chapter highlights prominent synoptic and mesoscale circulation features such as the Mozambique Channel Trough, the Botswana High, the Angola Low, the Congo Air Boundary, low-level jets, atmospheric rivers, and ridging South Atlantic anticyclones. It details the dynamics and variability of rainfall-bearing synoptic-scale systems such as cut-off low-pressure systems, tropical–extratropical cloud bands, and the role of Rossby wave propagation and breaking associated with these systems. The chapter also deals with key ocean circulation features such as the Angola-Benguela Frontal Zone, the Seychelles-Chagos Thermocline Ridge, the Agulhas Current retroflection and leakage into the South Atlantic, eddies and meanders on this current and in the Mozambique Channel, as well as sea-surface temperature variability in the neighbouring oceans such as the Benguela Niño and dipoles in the Indian Ocean. In addition, the chapter covers climate variability in the region on a variety of timescales from the intraseasonal to interannual and trends at longer timescales. The latter part focuses on advances in applications of numerical weather models and ensemble prediction systems, seasonal climate forecasting, and climate change projections. In conclusion, the chapter provides an analysis of current limitations and offers recommendations for future research.
Keywords
Information
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Meteorology and Climate of the Southern Hemisphere , pp. 341 - 381Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2025
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