Articles | Volume 25, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-997-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-997-2025
Research article
 | 
27 Jan 2025
Research article |  | 27 Jan 2025

Solar radiation estimation in West Africa: impact of dust conditions during the 2021 dry season

Léo Clauzel, Sandrine Anquetin, Christophe Lavaysse, Gilles Bergametti, Christel Bouet, Guillaume Siour, Rémy Lapere, Béatrice Marticorena, and Jennie Thomas

Data sets

Solar radiation estimation in West Africa: impact of dust conditions during 2021 dry season Léo Clauzel https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10808476

ERA5 hourly data on single levels from 1940 to present H. Hersbach et al. https://doi.org/10.24381/cds.adbb2d47

Fast radiative transfer parameterisation for assessing the surface solar irradiance: The Heliosat-4 method (https://ads.atmosphere.copernicus.eu/datasets?q=CAMS) Zhipeng Qu et al. https://doi.org/10.1127/metz/2016/0781

The Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2 (MERRA-2) (https://goldsmr5.gesdisc.eosdis.nasa.gov/data/MERRA2/) Ronald Gelaro et al. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-16-0758.1

AMMA-CATCH: a hydrological, meteorological and ecological observatory on West Africa AMMA-CATCH https://doi.org/10.17178/AMMA-CATCH.all

Air temperature, Banizoumbou, Niger Jean Louis Rajot et al. https://doi.org/10.25326/210

Air temperature, Cinzana, Mali Jean Louis Rajot et al. https://doi.org/10.25326/269

PM10 concentration, Cinzana, Mali Jean Louis Rajot et al. https://doi.org/10.25326/268

Air temperature, Bambey, Senegal Béatrice Marticorena et al. https://doi.org/10.25326/263

PM10 concentration, Bambey, Senegal Béatrice Marticorena et al. https://doi.org/10.25326/267

MODIS Atmosphere L3 Daily Product S. Platnick, et al. https://doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MOD08_D3.061

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Short summary
Solar energy production in West Africa is set to rise and needs accurate solar radiation estimates which are affected by desert dust. This work analyses a March 2021 dust event using a modelling strategy incorporating desert dust. Results show that considering desert dust cuts errors in solar radiation estimates by 75 % and reduces surface solar radiation by 18 %. This highlights the importance of incorporating dust aerosols into solar forecasting for better accuracy.

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