Category: climate

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Low-Pressure and Sahara Dust from 7/27 to 7/28

For the last two days, a low-pressure zone and a layer of sand (dust) from the Sahara have been interacting in a harmonious dance.

Goes16 image for July 27 at 18:00 UTC
source : https://www.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES/sector.php?sat=G16&sector=taw
Forecast of total Sahara dust in the air column of the SKIRON model for July 27 at 18:00 UTC
source : https://forecast.uoa.gr/en/forecast-maps/dust/north-atlantic

The Sahara dust limits the development of cloud structures in the low-pressure area and its convective movements, with progressive weathering visible on the animation. The depression favours the transport of the layer of dust towards North America.

The presence of Saharan dust in the atmosphere of the North Atlantic has many negative effects on health, in particular by reducing air quality with the presence of fine particles and bacteria. It also impacts the environment with a strong greenhouse effect which favours heat waves and drying of the air which modifies the frequency and the quantity of rainfall.

Conversely, the presence of particles modifies atmospheric dynamics, in particular cyclogenesis. In an atmosphere overloaded with sand, convection is limited or even stopped, cyclones have less favourable conditions to form.

The presence of large quantities of sand from the Sahara modifies our understanding of meteorology in the North Atlantic but also of the current and future climate. Years with large concentrations of Sahara dust disturb our perception of climate change.

Animation of Goes16 satellite images from Wednesday, July 27 to Thursday, July 28, 2022
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International Day of Forests 2022

Picture of Tropical Forest at Grand-Étang, Capesterre Belle-Eau

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has declared March 21st as the International Day of Forests.

Official poster of the International Day of Forests 2022

The forest as an ecological system is the basis of life and determines the supply of water, plant and animal resources, but also energy via wood, coal and peat for certain regions.

The forest performs many other missions, particularly in extreme environments such as in tropical areas with high rainfall where the stability of the soil is entirely their responsibility.

Few forest areas are preserved from the action of men, agriculture, logging and urbanization constitute the most visible threats, but the generalized use of pesticides and other chemical products weaken the components of these systems and push to their transformation.

New exotic species is also a major risk, globalization, the ease of the transport of goods with stowaways such as insects and snails, the desire to grow new plant species disturb forest systems with more or less serious and more or less lasting effects.

On the climate side, the role of the forest in the capture of atmospheric carbon is known but its role in rainfall is less so. Evaporation above forest areas allows a large number of microorganisms present on the leaves of trees to be found in the atmosphere and constitute as many condensation points for water vapour facilitating precipitation. A forest needs water to grow and facilitates rainfall.

The forest is a complex system, they all have their specificity and uniqueness, dry, wet, maritime. To enter a forest is to enter a full universe that deserves respect and protection like the oceans. Forests are essential to our life on this planet.

On this international day, ask yourself the question of the last time you went to the forest. If it’s been too long, plan a visit to reconnect with the biological reality of our planet and adapt our lifestyle.

#Forest #FAO #InternationalDay #Complex #Biology #Protection #Future #TCGNRG

Poster of the selected theme of the International Day of Forest: Sustainable wood

Read More : https://www.fao.org/international-day-of-forests/en/

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World Wetland Day 2021

Wetland area are essential are for the biodiversity and the availability of water for environment. Too often, in the tropical area, these areas are confused with mangle swamp which is composed them. But there are more extensive and got many shades which made them zones too little known and studied

#WWD2021 #WetLand2021

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Water Resource Notebook of Guadeloupe

The Caribbean Geophysical and Numerical Research Group is proud to announce the publication of the first notebook on the water resource of Guadeloupe edited by OREC Guadeloupe (Regional Energy & Climate Observatory) named « LA RESSOURCE EN EAU ET LE CHANGEMENT CLIMATIQUE » (WATER RESOURCE AND CLIMATE CHANGE)

This document is the fruit of the collaborative work of the technical committee of the water resource of the Regional Climate Expert Group of Guadeloupe composed by ten members form University of Antilles, BRGM (French Geological and Mining Research Office), IPGP-OBSERA (Earth Physic Institute of Paris – Observatory of water and erosion in the French West Indies), INRAe (French National Institute of Agronomic Research and Environment), Flè Kawbon (Carbon Flower -Design Office-), Office de l’Eau Guadeloupe (Water Office of Guadeloupe), TCGNRG and supervised by OREC Guadeloupe (Mrs Cynthia Bonine and Amélie Belfort).

The writing of the document has been committed to Jean-François Dorville et Romain Rochette who could not go to the end of this project by lack of time.

The document is intended for institutions and the general public. It inventors the available resource, presents the climatic projections and theirs expected effects but also the possible actions to mitigate them.

The document is composed of 40 pages, 22 illustrations, 4 tables and 20 pictures. It is organized in four parts:

  • A presentation of climate of Guadeloupe and its main features
  • An inventory of the water resource, mainly those which benefit from an administrative following.
  • A presentation of the climate prevision, mainly those which come from C3AF up to 2080 (IPPC RCP8.5 scenario), and their expected effects on the water resource and their usage.
  • A presentation of levers of action, means and methods available to mitigate the future effects

The document if freely downloadable in French on that link : Cahier_de_l_eau

A long abstract will be available soon

TCGNRG hopes that it will become a reference in the Caribbean area. We still available to answer to any questions on the field (contact@tcgnrg.com)

YouTube link of the video of presentation (in French with subtitle) : YouTube

Link to press article

RCI Guadeloupe (13/11/2020) : https://www.rci.fm/guadeloupe/infos/Environnement/Un-cahier-pour-comprendre-la-ressource-en-eau-et-le-changement-climatique-en

France Antilles Guadeloupe (11/11/2020) : https://www.guadeloupe.franceantilles.fr/actualite/environnement/un-webinaire-sur-la-ressource-en-eau-en-guadeloupe-et-le-changement-climatique-580152.php

France Antilles Guadeloupe (17/11/2020): https://www.guadeloupe.franceantilles.fr/actualite/environnement/nos-enfants-devront-apprendre-a-economiser-l-eau-580483.php

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# JamGreenDesal Blog #4

Ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level : sustainability is an important concept developed those last thirty years when limits of our resources have been clearly identified (i.e., fossil fuel, minerals, sand, freshwater).

#JamGreenDesal presents in this fourth post how our freshwater resource is distributed and how modern life can impact it. Current situation with Climate Change and effective global warming as European countries which have experiencing higher temperature since modern methodology this summer (UK 38.5°C, France 46°C) push to figure out what will be our freshwater next month, next season and next century.

The sustainability of your provision in freshwater will depend of our usage and also the production. Green desalination can be part of the solution.

#GreenEnergy #EnergyNeed #RenewableEnergy #FreshWater #Desalination #ClimateChange #DrinkableWater #water #Cleanwater #AlternativeEnergy #Potablewater

A survey is still running to better understand relation between Jamaican and Freshwater, and how Jamaican consumed and manage freshwater. If you have 5 minutes and reside or have resided in Jamaica please help us and answer to the survey on this link

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#JamGreenDesal Blog #3

Green is not only a buzzword is also a working concept which try to fix the gap between Laws of Nature and human activity. Limited resource of earth can only push human being to better and cautiously used energy, mineral matter and organic molecules (i.e., vegetable & animal) matter.

Somes unconscious person think we will be able to find a second planet to exploit quickly, but that won’t be case before long time. It is better for us to focus on what is already available.

This third post of the Jamaican Green Desalination Project explain main feature of a Desalination plant which can be called Green.

#GreenEnergy #EnergyNeed #RenewableEnergy #FreshWater #Desalination #ClimateChange #DrinkableWater #water #Cleanwater #AlternativeEnergy #Potablewater

A survey is still running to better understand relation between Jamaican and Freshwater. If you have 5 minutes and reside or have resided in Jamaica please help us and answer to the survey on this link

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#JamGreenDesal : Freshwater in Jamaica Survey

To retrieve essential information of Freshwater and Jamaican for the Jamaican Green Desalination Project (#JamGreenDesal),

To retrieve essential information of Freshwater and Jamaican for the Jamaican Green Desalination Project (#JamGreenDesal), UWI Mona and TCGNRG have launch a public survey on Freshwater in Jamaica. The goal is to have around two thousand answers to have a significant point of view of this complex relation will be more tenuous with climate change effect. The triple economic development – environmental respect – human well being are antagonist and will ask many knowledge in order to reach balance.

We invite you to answer and broadcast the link of the survey will be open up to October 2019.

https://tinyurl.com/y5s3e3e6

Result of the survey will be available on the TCGNRG web page soon

Freshwater usage survey in Jamaica

Result of the survey will be available on the TCGNRG web page soon

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#JamGreenDesal Blog #1

Some news : The Jamaican Green Desalination Project (#JamGreenDesal) was officially launch in its public phase. This project is a collaboration between UWI Mona and TCGNRG. Led by Zachary Williams through his MPhil. More information are available on the official webpage

This project try to build the tools to design Desalination Plant powering by Renewable Energy (i.e., solar, wind, wave)

In parallel a survey is running to better understand relation between Jamaican and Freshwater. If you have 5 minute and reside in Jamaica please help us and answer to the survey on this link

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc2CE4qNqlVrc5sp3uxKOlZx4khx4jwfT-LVzd8c3ajuvypQg/viewform?usp=pp_url

Freshwater usage survey in Jamaica
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Sargassum on West coast of Martinique

Illustration 1 : Oceanographic and Meteorological data for beginning of June 2019

June 1st and 2nd 2019 beaching of sargassum were observed on the Caribbean coast of Martinique (Fort-de-France, Schoelcher). This type of beaching has been rare since 2011 and the over-abundance of drifting sargassum rafts in the North Atlantic and the Caribbean Sea.

Each year one or two beaching are observed on this coast from Fort-de-France to the Prêcheur. They take place only under favourable oceanographic and meteorological conditions.

The breakdown of the Trade Wind felt after the passage of a tropical wave favoured the action of the Southwest currents. Sargassum beds generally extend northward along the Caribbean coast pushed by the East wind and sea currents. This Sunday June 2nd pelagic algae were trapped by the shallow waters of creeks and bays.

In two days of presence, the decomposition of algae forced their collection on the small artificialized Cove of Batelière at Schoelcher (500 on 200m), due to emanation of di-oxyde of sulphide and ammonia (SO2, NH3). This rapid decomposition can obviously be explained by the age of the rafts that went aground. But also by relatively high water temperatures (27.9-28.5 ° C) which decreases dissolved oxygen concentrations in the water of the order of 1 to 2 mg per litre and therefore anoxic decomposition (i.e., without oxygen ).

The quality of the water is another element to take into account. Only the quality for bathing is continuously monitoring. The last map, published by the Regional Office of Health (ARS), available from (illustration 2) indicates for the beach of Batelière a ‘good’ quality. This measure is misleading because it indicates only the frequency of the presence of certain bacteria of faecal origin but not the capacity of the ecosystem to withstand anthropogenic or natural pollution.

Illustration 2 : Map of Water Quality for Martinique’s bathing of 2018

The runoff water related to this tropical wave (give a name) to degrade the quality of the water, on the biological and physiochemical point, making this area more sensitive to the presence of large amount of living organism.

It is essential to take better account of bathing water quality in the determination of areas exposed to the risk of decomposition pollution of seaweed-type algae. To better prepare the pickup procedures and necessary equipment.

TCGNRG can help you design better risk maps for over-concentration of seaweed based on environmental conditions and better organised your organic matter collection and your recovery procedures. Do not hesitate to contact us

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