Evolution of Surface Hydrology in the Sahelo-Sudanian Strip: An Updated Review

In the West African Sahel, two paradoxical hydrological behaviors have occurred during the last five decades. The first paradox was observed during the 1968–1990s ‘Great Drought’ period, during which runoff significantly increased. The second paradox appeared during the subsequent period of rainfall recovery (i.e., since the 1990s), during which the runoff coefficient continued to increase despite the general re-greening of the Sahel. This paper reviews and synthesizes the literature on the drivers of these paradoxical behaviors, focusing on recent works in the West African Sahelo/Sudanian strip, and upscaling the hydrological processes through an analysis of recent data from two representative areas of this region. This paper helps better determine the respective roles played by Land Use/Land Cover Changes (LULCC), the evolution of rainfall intensity and the occurrence of extreme rainfall events in these hydrological paradoxes. Both the literature review and recent data converge in indicating that the first Sahelian hydrological paradox was mostly driven by LULCC, while the second paradox has been caused by both LULCC and climate evolution, mainly the recent increase in rainfall intensity

Changes in flood risk and perception in catchments and cities

A dramatic increase in the frequency and intensity of floods due to the Niger River in the city of Niamey (Niger) has been observed in the last decade. Previous studies highlighted the role of the land use changes on the flood increase since 1970s. In the last decade, observations have raised the issue of a possible increase in extreme rainfall in the Sahel, which may have caused the recent and extreme floods in Niamey in 2010, 2012 and 2013. The study focuses on the 125 000 km(2) basin between Ansongo and Niamey. This is the drainage area of the monsoon rainfall that leads to the rapid flow rise occurring between June and October. To understand the possible role of rainfall in flood intensification, satellite rainfall estimate is attractive in a region where the operational gauge network is sparse. This paper analyses the evolution of the Niger hydrograph in Niamey based on discharge observations, hydrological modelling and the satellite product PERSIANN-CDR, over the 1983-2013 period. PERSIANN-CDR is first compared with four other rainfall products. The salient features of the observed changes, i.e. a marked change in the mean decadal hydrograph, is well mimicked by the simulations, implying that rainfall is the first driver to the observed changes. The increase of flooded years over the period is also well reproduced but with some uncertainties in the exact number of flood days per year

Allô ? Attention à l'eau

Dans un contexte de changements globaux, les pays de la zone intertropicale sont de plus en plus exposés aux inondations. Comprendre et surveiller ces phénomènes représente un enjeu majeur de recherche pour développer des systèmes d'alerte pertinents