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Lake Chad used to be one of the biggest lakes in the world, but its volume has been reduced to a tenth of what it was in the 1960s. The way this lake has dried up has become a symbol of climate change in action. It's true that the lake's water level has always changed, but this hasn't diminished the major changes to the lifestyle of the inhabitants of the lake's shoreline. Yet, as demonstrated by a French-Nigerian team including the IRD1, lake dwellers have made the best of these changes to their environment. Formerly fishermen or herdsmen, they have become farmers, often growing for export. The land that was part of the lake has made it possible for them to develop highly productive crops such as corn, rice and cowpea. In the valley of the Komadugu Yobe River in Niger, they have even commenced the intensive farming of peppers, which is highly lucrative although risky.
The climate of the Lake Chad region is strongly influenced by the seasonal migration and interaction of the dominant air masses of the region: a dry, subsiding continental air mass and a humid, unstable maritime air mass. The humid air mass moves northward during the summer, wedging beneath the drier air mass. Precipitation occurs when the depth of humid air is sufficiently great. The depth of the air mass varies daily as well as seasonally, accounting for variation in precipitation levels. At the end of the summer the dominance of the dry continental air mass is reasserted. Evaporation and transpirational losses from soil and plants increase, and then they decrease as the surface layers of the soil dry and plants lose their leaves. The dry season is also the period of the harmattan, a dust-laden wind that reduces visibility for days at a time. The increased insolation, reduced humidity, and desiccating winds contribute greatly to water loss in the lake.
Precipitation levels are greatest from July to September. Annual precipitation averages 22 inches (560 mm) at the southern margin of Lake Chad and about 10 inches (250 mm) at the northern margin. Variability during the year is high and increases from south to north; variability from year to year is also high, and droughts are frequent. Temperatures during the wet season are moderate, with highs in the low 90s F (low 30s C). In October and November, during the transition to the dry season, daily highs rise above 90 °F (32 °C), and diurnal ranges are almost double those of the wet season. During December and January daytime highs are lower, with nighttime lows sometimes falling to the high 40s F (about 8 °C). April is usually the hottest month of the year, with temperatures occasionally reaching the low 110s F (low 40s C).
Historically, Lake Chad has ranked among the largest lakes in Africa, though its surface area varies greatly by season, as well as from year to year. When the surface of the lake is approximately 920 feet (280 metres) above sea level, the area is about 6,875 square miles (17,800 square km); in the early 21st century, however, the area was typically about 580 square miles (1,500 square km). The hydrologic contributions and biological diversity of Lake Chad are important regional assets. The region is noteworthy for important archaeological discoveries, its role in trans-Saharan trade, and its association with historic African kingdoms.
The climate of the Lake Chad region is strongly influenced by the seasonal migration and interaction of the dominant air masses of the region: a dry, subsiding continental air mass and a humid, unstable maritime air mass. The humid air mass moves northward during the summer, wedging beneath the drier air mass. Precipitation occurs when the depth of humid air is sufficiently great. The depth of the air mass varies daily as well as seasonally, accounting for variation in precipitation levels. At the end of the summer the dominance of the dry continental air mass is reasserted. Evaporation and transpirational losses from soil and plants increase, and then they decrease as the surface layers of the soil dry and plants lose their leaves. The dry season is also the period of the harmattan, a dust-laden wind that reduces visibility for days at a time. The increased insolation, reduced humidity, and desiccating winds contribute greatly to water loss in the lake.
Precipitation levels are greatest from July to September. Annual precipitation averages 22 inches (560 mm) at the southern margin of Lake Chad and about 10 inches (250 mm) at the northern margin. Variability during the year is high and increases from south to north; variability from year to year is also high, and droughts are frequent. Temperatures during the wet season are moderate, with highs in the low 90s F (low 30s C). In October and November, during the transition to the dry season, daily highs rise above 90 °F (32 °C), and diurnal ranges are almost double those of the wet season. During December and January daytime highs are lower, with nighttime lows sometimes falling to the high 40s F (about 8 °C). April is usually the hottest month of the year, with temperatures occasionally reaching the low 110s F (low 40s C).
Historically, Lake Chad has ranked among the largest lakes in Africa, though its surface area varies greatly by season, as well as from year to year. When the surface of the lake is approximately 920 feet (280 metres) above sea level, the area is about 6,875 square miles (17,800 square km); in the early 21st century, however, the area was typically about 580 square miles (1,500 square km). The hydrologic contributions and biological diversity of Lake Chad are important regional assets. The region is noteworthy for important archaeological discoveries, its role in trans-Saharan trade, and its association with historic African kingdoms.
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