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

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Cited articles

AERONET: AOD and aerosol inversion data, AErosol RObotic NETwork, NASA, https://aeronet.gsfc.nasa.gov, last access: 2 September 2024. 
Aidara, M. C., Fam, P. A., Danso, D. K., Mortey, E. M., Mbaye, A., Ndiaye, M. L., Bonkaney, A. L., Adamou, R., Anquetin, S., and Diedhiou, A.: Contribution to the building of a weather information service for solar panel cleaning operations at Diass plant (Senegal, Western Sahel), Open Geosci., 15, 20220449, https://doi.org/10.1515/geo-2022-0449, 2023.​​​​​​​ 
Alfaro, S. C. and Gomes, L.: Modeling mineral aerosol production by wind erosion: Emission intensities and aerosol size distributions in source areas, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 106, 18075–18084, https://doi.org/10.1029/2000JD900339, 2001. 
AMMA-CATCH: AMMA-CATCH: a hydrological, meteorological and ecological observatory on West Africa, IRD, CNRS-INSU, OSUG, OMP, OREME [data set], https://doi.org/10.17178/AMMA-CATCH.all, 1990. 
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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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