@article{fdi:010048239,
  title = {{R}ainfall regime across the {S}ahel band in the {G}ourma region, {M}ali},
  author = {{F}rappart, {F}. and {H}iernaux, {P}. and {G}uichard, {F}. and {M}ougin, {E}ric and {K}ergoat, {L}. and {A}rjounin, {M}arc and {L}avenu, {F}ran{\c{c}}ois and {K}oite, {M}. and {P}aturel, {J}ean-{E}mmanuel and {L}ebel, {T}hierry},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{T}he {S}ahel is characterized by low and highly variable rainfall, which strongly affects the hydrology and the climate of the region and creates severe constraints for agriculture and water management. {T}his study provides the first characterization of the rainfall regime for the {G}ourma region located in {M}ali, {C}entury {S}ahel (14.5-17.5 degrees {N} and 2-1 degrees {S}). {T}he rainfall regime is described using two datasets: the daily long term raingauge records covering the period 1950-2007, and the high frequency raingauge records collected under the {A}frican {M}onsoon {M}ultidisciplinary {A}nalysis ({AMMA}) project between 2005 and 2008. {T}he first rainfall dataset was used to analyse the interannual variability and the spatial distribution of the precipitation. {T}he second dataset is used to analyse the diurnal cycle of precipitation and the nature of the rainfall. {T}his study is complementary to previous analyses conducted in {S}ahelian areas located further south, where the influence of the continental {S}ahara heat low is expected to be less pronounced in summer. {R}ainfall regimes in the {G}ourma region present a succession of wet (1950-1969) and dry decades (1970-2007). {T}he decrease of summer cumulative rainfall is explained by a reduction in the number of the rainy days in southern {G}ourma, and a decrease in both the number of rainy days and the daily rainfall in northern and central {G}ourma. {T}his meridional difference may be related to the relative distances of the zones from the intertropical discontinuity, which is closer to the northern stations. {T}he length of the rainy season has varied since the 1950s with two episodes of shorter rainy seasons: during the drought of the 1980s and also since 2000. {H}owever, this second episode is characterized by an increase in the daily rainfall, which suggests an intensification of rainfall events in the more recent years. {H}igh-frequency data reveal that a large fraction of the rainfall is produced by intense rain events mostly occurring in late evenings and early mornings during the core of the rainy season ({J}uly-{S}eptember). {C}onversely, rainfall amounts are less around noon, and this mid-day damping is more pronounced in northern {G}ourma. {A}ll these characteristics have strong implications for agriculture and water resources management.},
  keywords = {{P}recipitation ; {G}ourma region ; {S}ahel ; {I}nterannual variability ; {D}iurnal cycle},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{J}ournal of {H}ydrology},
  volume = {375},
  numero = {1-2},
  pages = {128--142},
  ISSN = {0022-1694},
  year = {2009},
  DOI = {10.1016/j.jhydrol.2009.03.007},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010048239},
}