A 40-year remote sensing analysis of spatiotemporal temperature and rainfall patterns in Senegal
Climate change impacts manifest differently worldwide, with many African countries, including Senegal, being particularly vulnerable. The decline in ground observations and limited access to these observations continue to impede research efforts to understand, plan, and mitigate the current and futu...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Climate |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fclim.2025.1462626/full |
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| author | Catherine Nakalembe Diana B. Frimpong Hannah Kerner Mamadou Adama Sarr |
| author_facet | Catherine Nakalembe Diana B. Frimpong Hannah Kerner Mamadou Adama Sarr |
| author_sort | Catherine Nakalembe |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Climate change impacts manifest differently worldwide, with many African countries, including Senegal, being particularly vulnerable. The decline in ground observations and limited access to these observations continue to impede research efforts to understand, plan, and mitigate the current and future impacts of climate change. This occurs at a time of rapid growth in Earth observations (EO) data, methodologies, and computational capabilities, which could potentially augment studies in data-scarce regions. In this study, we utilized satellite remote sensing data leveraging historical EO data using Google Earth Engine to investigate spatio-temporal rainfall and temperature patterns in Senegal from 1981 to 2020. We combined CHIRPS precipitation data and ERA5-Land reanalysis datasets for remote sensing analysis and used the Mann–Kendall and Sen's Slope statistical tests for trend detection. Our results indicate that annual temperatures and precipitation increased by 0.73°C and 18 mm in Senegal from 1981 to 2020. All six of Senegal's agroecological zones showed statistically significant upward precipitation trends. However, the Casamance, Ferlo, Eastern Senegal, Groundnut Basin, and Senegal River Valley regions exhibited statistically significant upward trends in temperature. In the south, the approach to climate change would be centered on the effects of increased rainfall, such as flooding and soil erosion. Conversely, in the drier northern areas such as Podo and Saint Louis, the focus would be on addressing water scarcity and drought conditions. High temperatures in key crop-producing regions, such as Saraya, Goudiry, and Tambacounda in the Eastern Senegal area also threaten crop yields, especially maize, sorghum, millet, and peanuts. By acknowledging and addressing the unique impacts of climate change on various agroecological zones, policymakers and stakeholders can develop and implement customized adaptation strategies that are more successful in fostering resilience and ensuring sustainable agricultural production in the face of a changing climate. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-537343094e6a422a8dcec959dedecccd |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2624-9553 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Climate |
| spelling | doaj-art-537343094e6a422a8dcec959dedecccd2025-02-06T05:21:49ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Climate2624-95532025-02-01710.3389/fclim.2025.14626261462626A 40-year remote sensing analysis of spatiotemporal temperature and rainfall patterns in SenegalCatherine Nakalembe0Diana B. Frimpong1Hannah Kerner2Mamadou Adama Sarr3Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United StatesDepartment of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United StatesArizona State University, School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, Tempe, AZ, United StatesCentre de Suivi Ecologique, Dakar, SenegalClimate change impacts manifest differently worldwide, with many African countries, including Senegal, being particularly vulnerable. The decline in ground observations and limited access to these observations continue to impede research efforts to understand, plan, and mitigate the current and future impacts of climate change. This occurs at a time of rapid growth in Earth observations (EO) data, methodologies, and computational capabilities, which could potentially augment studies in data-scarce regions. In this study, we utilized satellite remote sensing data leveraging historical EO data using Google Earth Engine to investigate spatio-temporal rainfall and temperature patterns in Senegal from 1981 to 2020. We combined CHIRPS precipitation data and ERA5-Land reanalysis datasets for remote sensing analysis and used the Mann–Kendall and Sen's Slope statistical tests for trend detection. Our results indicate that annual temperatures and precipitation increased by 0.73°C and 18 mm in Senegal from 1981 to 2020. All six of Senegal's agroecological zones showed statistically significant upward precipitation trends. However, the Casamance, Ferlo, Eastern Senegal, Groundnut Basin, and Senegal River Valley regions exhibited statistically significant upward trends in temperature. In the south, the approach to climate change would be centered on the effects of increased rainfall, such as flooding and soil erosion. Conversely, in the drier northern areas such as Podo and Saint Louis, the focus would be on addressing water scarcity and drought conditions. High temperatures in key crop-producing regions, such as Saraya, Goudiry, and Tambacounda in the Eastern Senegal area also threaten crop yields, especially maize, sorghum, millet, and peanuts. By acknowledging and addressing the unique impacts of climate change on various agroecological zones, policymakers and stakeholders can develop and implement customized adaptation strategies that are more successful in fostering resilience and ensuring sustainable agricultural production in the face of a changing climate.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fclim.2025.1462626/fullSenegalclimate variabilitysatellite remote sensinggoogle earth engineclimate trend |
| spellingShingle | Catherine Nakalembe Diana B. Frimpong Hannah Kerner Mamadou Adama Sarr A 40-year remote sensing analysis of spatiotemporal temperature and rainfall patterns in Senegal Frontiers in Climate Senegal climate variability satellite remote sensing google earth engine climate trend |
| title | A 40-year remote sensing analysis of spatiotemporal temperature and rainfall patterns in Senegal |
| title_full | A 40-year remote sensing analysis of spatiotemporal temperature and rainfall patterns in Senegal |
| title_fullStr | A 40-year remote sensing analysis of spatiotemporal temperature and rainfall patterns in Senegal |
| title_full_unstemmed | A 40-year remote sensing analysis of spatiotemporal temperature and rainfall patterns in Senegal |
| title_short | A 40-year remote sensing analysis of spatiotemporal temperature and rainfall patterns in Senegal |
| title_sort | 40 year remote sensing analysis of spatiotemporal temperature and rainfall patterns in senegal |
| topic | Senegal climate variability satellite remote sensing google earth engine climate trend |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fclim.2025.1462626/full |
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