Publisher's Synopsis
Land-surface processes are essential to the understanding of climate. They are also critical to a better assessment of the availability of water resources and further, central to the description of the interactions between the climate and the biosphere. The HAPEX-Sahel programme was set up specifically in Niger to study these points.;In the sub-sahelian region the rainy season is short, 3 months long, during which time the conditions vary from extreme dryness to a full bloom of natural and agricultural vegetation, followed by a rapid senescence. In other words the location of Niger for this research made it possible to document over a period of 3 months, processes that would have taken one full year to observe in a region of less extreme conditions.;This text present the results collected during the nine-year HAPEX-Sahel programme. Issues discussed include: how spatial integration is tackled using remote-sensing techniques; how the atmospheric circulations are organized with respect to surface forcing; how the vegetation dynamically responds to moisture availability; and how water is transferred and stored in ponds and water-tables in complex hydrographic systems.
