Articles | Volume 26, issue 12
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-8529-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-8529-2026
Research article
 | 
18 Jun 2026
Research article |  | 18 Jun 2026

On the mechanisms that control the rainy season transition periods in the equatorial Congo Basin

Sarah Worden and Rong Fu

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Cited articles

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Short summary
We studied how the rainy seasons begin in the equatorial Congo Basin in Africa. Using satellite observations and climate data, we found they are triggered by shifts in large-scale winds that bring in ocean moisture. Evapotranspiration from forests supplies most atmospheric moisture but does not change during this period. These winds push atmospheric moisture up against the East African Rift mountains to moisten the atmosphere and start the rainy seasons.
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