Editorial Type:
Article
Article Type:
Research Article

A Two-Century Precipitation Dataset for the Continent of Africa

Sharon E. Nicholson Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, The Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida

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Amin K. Dezfuli Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, The Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida

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Douglas Klotter Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, The Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida

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Online Publication:
01 Aug 2012
Print Publication:
01 Aug 2012
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-11-00212.1
Page(s):
1219–1231
Restricted access

A wealth of historical information on climate and weather exists for the African continent. Documentary information, hydrologic indicators, and rain gauge records have been compiled and combined into a semiquantitative precipitation dataset that extends from 1801 to 1900. That dataset describes “wetness” for 90 regions of Africa, using a seven-category index. A regional gauge dataset for 1901–2000 has been converted to the seven-class system, extending coverage to two centuries. These datasets are available through the Paleoclimate Data Center.

*CURRENT AFILIATION: Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland

CORRESPONDING AUTHOR: Sharon Nicholson, EOAS—Meteorology, The Florida State University, P.O. Box 3064520, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4520 E-mail: snicholson@fsu.edu

A wealth of historical information on climate and weather exists for the African continent. Documentary information, hydrologic indicators, and rain gauge records have been compiled and combined into a semiquantitative precipitation dataset that extends from 1801 to 1900. That dataset describes “wetness” for 90 regions of Africa, using a seven-category index. A regional gauge dataset for 1901–2000 has been converted to the seven-class system, extending coverage to two centuries. These datasets are available through the Paleoclimate Data Center.

*CURRENT AFILIATION: Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland

CORRESPONDING AUTHOR: Sharon Nicholson, EOAS—Meteorology, The Florida State University, P.O. Box 3064520, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4520 E-mail: snicholson@fsu.edu
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