A drying Congo basin? Detection and attribution of the hydroclimatic trends in the Congo basin to anthropogenic activities

Recent studies have attributed the unequivocal global warming and
associated changes in weather to anthropogenic activities including
climate change and land and water resources management. Despite
climate change being identified as the key driver of trends in the
hydrological cycle for most regions of the world, there are hardly any
studies carried out within Central Africa and particularly for the Congo
basin. This is a major scientific shortcoming, as the basin hosts both
the world’s second largest river and forest which have both
undergone recent drying trends. The main aim of this project is
therefore to develop robust evidence of the effects of anthropogenic
forcings on the hydroclimate within the Congo basin. I first propose to
undertake data rescue missions to develop a large historical
hydrological dataset for the region to address the challenge of limited
observational data. Second, I aim to analyze the observed historical
hydroclimatic trends and subsequently detect and attribute the
hydrological changes within the basin to anthropogenic or natural
factors. Finally, I will constrain uncertainties in the future hydroclimate
projections of this region. The output of this research will fill the
knowledge gap on the hydrological trends in this region and enable
the implementation of mitigation and adaptation measures for the
basin by local policy makers.