AMMA-CATCH: a hydrological, meteorological and ecological observatory on West Africa

AMMA-CATCH is an observation service (SO) dedicated to long-term monitoring of climatological, hydrological and ecological changes in West Africa. For this purpose, it gathers data from three densely instrumented sites in Mali, Senegal, Niger and Benin. These three sites cover areas ranging between 10000 and 25000 km² and are located at different latitudes so as to sample the characteristic eco-climatic gradients of the region, ranging from semi arid to sudanian climate.
Simultaneous monitoring of the vegetation cover, the phenology and the various terms of the water balance (rainfall, infiltration, groundwater recharge, surface runoff) at the three sites provides insight into the interactions between the water cycle, vegetation dynamics and climate variability at intraseasonal and interannual scales over this region that is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. AMMA-CATCH observations feed three scientific axes : long term evolution at regional scale, study of processes and application to socio-economic demand.