A climatological baseline for understanding patterns of seasonal lake dynamics across sub-Sahelian Africa
Lakes in sub-Sahelian Africa are facing growing ecological threats from climate change and human, yet most research has focused on a handful of well-known large lakes. This study analyses 137 lakes, many previously understudied, and identifies consistent seasonal co-variability patterns across meteorological variables, satellite-derived lake physical and biogeochemical variables, and morphological and anthropogenic characteristics. We identify four distinct clusters of lakes, shaped by the atmospheric variability and its synchrony with water temperature seasonality. Within each cluster, we observe three seasonal patterns of chlorophyll-a concentration tied to wet and dry seasons. These patterns align with regional climatic threats in Africa, such as shifts in rainfall seasonality, altered frequency of tropical cyclones and wildfires, thus positioning our study as a framework to assess lake vulnerability across the sub-Sahelian region. The seasonal lake dynamics in sub-Sahelian Africa are shaped by climate and human activities, revealing shared ecological vulnerabilities, according to a climatological analysis of 137 lakes.
Authors
- Elisa Calamita (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2614-2942)
- Mariano Bresciani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7185-8464)
- Monica Pinardi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5289-8842)
- Jean‐François Crétaux (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4038-7719)
- Livia Serrao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0297-3397)
- Martin Schmid (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8699-5691)
- Xigang Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4473-2900)
- Richard Iestyn Woolway (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0498-7968)
- Rossana Caroni (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1891-6319)
- Mzime Regina Ndebele‐Murisa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8096-2979)
- Clément Albergel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1095-2702)
- Ross Maidment (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2054-3259)
- Simona Bordoni (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4771-3350)
- Claudia Giardino (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3937-4988)
- Christopher J. Merchant (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4687-9850)
- Laura Carrea (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3280-2767)
- Stefan Simis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6296-9146)
- Francesco Pietro Fava (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3748-7417)
- Hervé Yesou
- Marina Amadori (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8810-8478)
- Tamuka Nhiwatiwa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5295-0724)
- Davide Lomeo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9139-6834)
- Anna Joelle Greife (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-4152-9473)
Institutions
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Bangor University (GB)
- King's College London (GB)
- University of Milan (IT)
- University of Trento (IT)
- University of Namibia (NA)
- Plymouth Marine Laboratory (GB)
- Laboratoire des Sciences de l'Ingénieur, de l'Informatique et de l'Imagerie (FR)
- European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications (GB)
- Laboratoire d’Études en Géophysique et Océanographie Spatiales (FR)
- Istituto per il Rilevamento Elettromagnetico dell'Ambiente (IT)
- National Centre for Earth Observation (GB)
- National Research Council (IT)
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (FR)
- Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (CH)
- Université de Strasbourg (FR)
- University of Reading (GB)
- University of Tübingen (DE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Communications Earth & Environment
- Published
- 2025-08-20
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02684-5
- Citations
- 3
- Primary Topic
- Aquatic Ecosystems and Biodiversity
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 5.15
Funders
- European Space Agency
- Università degli Studi di Trento