The Tropical Atlantic Variability Conference will take place at the Protea Hotel Breakwater Lodge (Cape Town, South Africa) from Tuesday-Thursday, 25th-27th August 2015, and will consist in the following sessions:

 

(Abstract submission is now closed)

 

Session 1 - Key oceanic processes in the eastern Tropical Atlantic, observations and modelling

Convenors: Marcus Dengler (GEOMAR, Germany), Martin Schmidt (IOW, Germany), Alban Lazar (UPMC, FRANCE), Moacyr Araujo (UFPE, Brazil), and Anja van der Plas (MFMR, Namibia)

 

The Eastern tropical Atlantic basin is a region characterised by relatively shallow thermocline and mixed layer, due to large scale upwelling systems in the open ocean and along African coasts. The surface oceanic variability is hence very large, but it is still poorly measured and understood, and simulations consequently suffer from important biases. Some recent efforts on better understanding of eastern boundary biases suggest that the proper representation of the ocean circulation there could drastically improve the climate models.

Key processes, to measure and model, are, among others:

- transports of heat and matter by surface and subsurface current systems in the open and coastal ocean;

- processes determining the heat, salt and fresh water budget for various depth ranges;

- turbulence and mixed layer variability;

- coupled ocean atmosphere dynamics, locally or remotely forced;

- exchange between the open ocean and coastal seas, filament dynamics and eddies;

- dynamics and effects of upwelling cells, the specific role of local wind field pattern.

We invite to report on field and model studies focusing on the eastern half of the tropical basin, encouraging particularly those including the Southern hemisphere.

 

Session 2 - Climate variability, modelling and prediction

Convenors: Hyacinth Nnamchi (UNN, Nigeria), Aurore Voldoire (MF-CNRS, France), Francisco Doblas-Reyes (IC3, Spain), Ingo Richter (JAMSTEC, Japan), Ping Chang (TAMU, USA) and Roberto Mechoso (UCLA, USA)

 

Surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic are subject to pronounced variability on interannual to decadal timescales. This tropical Atlantic variability (TAV), modulates the seasonal migration of the intertropical convergence zone and consequently climate on the adjacent continents. In addition to short-term variability the tropical Atlantic has also seen a pronounced warming trend in recent decades, with far-reaching socio-economic impacts. Skillful predictions for the region, however, remain notoriously difficult and the credibility of climate change projections for the tropical Atlantic is undermined by the persistent and severe model biases in the region and model uncertainties. Thus much work remains to be done to deepen our understanding of TAV and improve its representation in climate models. This session seeks contributions analysing the mechanisms of TAV and its predictability as well as contributions  aiming to reduce  model biases and uncertainties in the region.

 

Session 3 - Marine ecosystems, fisheries and climate change

Convenors: Patrice Brehmer (IRD, France), Jörn Schmidt (CAU, Germany), Mathieu Rouault (UCT, South Africa), Adama Mbaye (CRODT-ISRA, Senegal), Aka Marcel Kouassi (CRO, Ivory Coast), Filomena Velho (INIP, Angola, tbc)

 

Social and economic vulnerability, adaptation and resilience of African Atlantic countries fishing communities, especially in light of climate and subsequent environmental change, are of key interest to managers and decision makers in these countries. To inform policy and be able to formulate relevant recommendations we need to understand the variability of the ecosystem at the scale of each Atlantic Large Marine Ecosystem (CC Canary Current, GC Guinea Current and BC Benguela Current) bordering Africa as well as the ones from Brazil (North, East and South Brazil shelf). It is important to integrate knowledge of key ecosystem processes driving its productivity and functioning with the human dimension, i.e. understand the impact of human activities on the ecosystem as well as the impact of changes on human well-being. A main objective of this session is to understand the effect of climate variability and change on small-scale fisheries and coastal communities and to derive an understanding of the effect of uncertainty in projections and possible implications for management. Disentangling environmental and anthropogenic pressures on pelagic fishes in the tropical Atlantic is essential, and in this context the analysis of changes in total biomass and spatial distribution of major food web components will be of relevant interest. Contributions combining natural and social sciences and economics related to fisheries and the marine environment affected by climate and global change in the tropical Atlantic Ocean are welcome.

 

Abstract submission is closed.

Submission deadline EXTENSION: 25th June 2015.

(Abstract submission does not act as registration. Registration opens 20th July)