Upper Guinea, a transitional zone between the Sahelian climate and forest influences, is particularly exposed to the impacts of climate change, with an intensification of climatic extremes. This study aims to investigate the relationship between climate variability (temperature and precipitation) and vegetation response, as measured by the NDVI index, over the period from 2012 to 2021. The data were obtained from reliable satellite sources such as MODIS (NDVI), ERA5 (temperature), and CHIRPS (precipitation). The methods employed include monthly climatology, linear trend analysis, standardized anomaly assessment, and Pearson correlation analysis. The results reveal a pronounced seasonality of NDVI, peaking in September to October, reflecting a biological lag following rainfall. Temperature shows a significant upward trend (+0.091?C/year), while precipitation remains highly variable without a clear trend. NDVI displays a moderate but significant positive trend (+0.009 NDVI/year), particularly marked after 2015. A strong correlation with temperature (r = 0.72) contrasts with the weak influence of precipitation (r = 0.03). The study highlights the key role of temperature in ecological dynamics and the relative resilience of vegetation, while emphasizing that this resilience remains dependent on sufficient water availability. It concludes by recommending rigorous climatic and ecological monitoring to support adaptation strategies, sustainable management, and food security in West Africa.
References
[1]
Alemu, H., Kaptué, A., Senay, G., Wimberly, M. and Henebry, G. (2015) Evapotranspiration in the Nile Basin: Identifying Dynamics and Drivers, 2002-2011. Water, 7, 4914-4931. https://doi.org/10.3390/w7094914
[2]
IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) (2014) Impact. Adaptation and Vulnerability. IPCC WGII AR5 Summary for Policymakers. https://www.sophe.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/2018-SOPHE-Program-282018.pdf
[3]
Skea, J., Shukla, P., Al Khourdajie, A. and McCollum, D. (2021) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: Transparency and Integrated Assessment Modeling. WIREs Climate Change, 12, e727. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc.727
[4]
Bonan, G.B. (2008) Forests and Climate Change: Forcings, Feedbacks, and the Climate Benefits of Forests. Science, 320, 1444-1449. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1155121
[5]
Pettorelli, N., Vik, J.O., Mysterud, A., Gaillard, J., Tucker, C.J. and Stenseth, N.C. (2005) Using the Satellite-Derived NDVI to Assess Ecological Responses to Environmental Change. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 20, 503-510. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2005.05.011 https://www.cell.com/trends/ecology-evolution/abstract/S0169-5347(05)00162-X?large_figure=true
[6]
IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) (2007) Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. 1-18. https://www.slvwd.com/sites/g/files/vyhlif1176/f/uploads/item_10b_4.pdf
[7]
Diallo, I., Bain, C.L., Gaye, A.T., Moufouma-Okia, W., Niang, C., Dieng, M.D.B., et al. (2014) Simulation of the West African Monsoon Onset Using the Hadgem3-Ra Regional Climate Model. Climate Dynamics, 43, 575-594. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-014-2219-0
[8]
Tucker, C.J. (1979) Red and Photographic Infrared Linear Combinations for Monitoring Vegetation. Remote Sensing of Environment, 8, 127-150. https://doi.org/10.1016/0034-4257(79)90013-0
[9]
Funk, C., Peterson, P., Landsfeld, M., Pedreros, D., Verdin, J., Shukla, S., et al. (2015) The Climate Hazards Infrared Precipitation with Stations—A New Environmental Record for Monitoring Extremes. Scientific Data, 2, Article No. 150066. https://doi.org/10.1038/sdata.2015.66 https://www.nature.com/articles/sdata201566
[10]
Nicholson, S.E. (2013) The West African Sahel: A Review of Recent Studies on the Rainfall Regime and Its Interannual Variability. ISRN Meteorology, 2013, 1-32. https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/453521
[11]
Sanogo, S., Fink, A.H., Omotosho, J.A., Ba, A., Redl, R. and Ermert, V. (2015) Spatio‐Temporal Characteristics of the Recent Rainfall Recovery in West Africa. International Journal of Climatology, 35, 4589-4605. https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.4309
[12]
Sultan, B. and Gaetani, M. (2016) Agriculture in West Africa in the Twenty-First Century: Climate Change and Impacts Scenarios, and Potential for Adaptation. Frontiers in Plant Science, 7, Article ID: 1262. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2016.01262
[13]
Kallé, L.M. (2022) Économie minière de la république de guinée: Comprendre l’étude de faisabilité des projets miniers. https://www.torrossa.com/en/resources/an/5502389
[14]
Bah, R. (2022) Contribution à la question nationale de la République de Guinée: Essai. https://www.torrossa.com/en/resources/an/5501221
[15]
Diallo, B.D. (2018) Social Impact Assessment of Water Management Projects—The Case of the Niger River Basin. Master’s Thesis , Ohio University. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1534247403271493
[16]
Salihu, A.C. (2021) Climate Change Impact on Water Resources Availability in the Guinea and Sudano Sahelian Ecological Zones of Nigeria. Ph.D. Thesis, Federal University of Technology Minna. http://irepo.futminna.edu.ng:8080/jspui/bitstream/123456789/14527/1/PhD%20SALIHU%20Abdullahi%20Chado%20.pdf
[17]
Camara, D. (2015) Évaluer l’état de sécurité alimentaire des enfants de 6 à 59 mois et des femmes en âge de procréer dans le cercle de Nara en 2012. https://www.bibliosante.ml/handle/123456789/871
[18]
Sylla, M.B., Nikiema, P.M., Gibba, P., Kebe, I. and Klutse, N.A.B. (2016) Climate Change over West Africa: Recent Trends and Future Projections. In: Yaro, J. and Hesselberg, J., Eds., Adaptation to Climate Change and Variability in Rural West Africa, Springer International Publishing, 25-40. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31499-0_3 https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-31499-0_3
[19]
Oueslati, B., Camberlin, P., Zoungrana, J., Roucou, P. and Diallo, S. (2018) Variability and Trends of Wet Season Temperature in the Sudano-Sahelian Zone and Relationships with Precipitation. Climate Dynamics, 50, 1067-1090. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-017-3661-6
[20]
Fensholt, R., Langanke, T., Rasmussen, K., Reenberg, A., Prince, S.D., Tucker, C., et al. (2012) Greenness in Semi-Arid Areas across the Globe 1981-2007—An Earth Observing Satellite Based Analysis of Trends and Drivers. Remote Sensing of Environment, 121, 144-158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2012.01.017
[21]
De Swaef, T., Maes, W.H., Aper, J., Baert, J., Cougnon, M., Reheul, D., et al. (2021) Applying RGB-and Thermal-Based Vegetation Indices from UAVs for High-Throughput Field Phenotyping of Drought Tolerance in Forage Grasses. Remote Sensing, 13, Article 147. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13010147
[22]
Mbow, C., Toensmeier, E., Brandt, M., Skole, D., Dieng, M., Garrity, D. and Poulter, B. (2020) Agroforestry as a Solution for Multiple Climate Change Challenges in Africa. In: Deryng, D., Ed., Climate Change and Agriculture, Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing, 339-374.
[23]
Herrmann, S.M., Anyamba, A. and Tucker, C.J. (2005) Recent Trends in Vegetation Dynamics in the African Sahel and Their Relationship to Climate. Global Environmental Change, 15, 394-404. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2005.08.004
[24]
Famien, A.M. (2020) Analyse de la variabilité décennale et du changement climatique en Afrique de l’ouest à l’aide des produits CMIP5-Application à l’estimation des rendements agricoles à la fin du siècle. https://hal.sorbonne-universite.fr/tel-03372178
[25]
Hoscilo, A., Balzter, H., Bartholomé, E., Boschetti, M., Brivio, P.A., Brink, A., et al. (2014) A Conceptual Model for Assessing Rainfall and Vegetation Trends in Sub‐Saharan Africa from Satellite Data. International Journal of Climatology, 35, 3582-3592. https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.4231
[26]
Zhou, L., Tucker, C.J., Kaufmann, R.K., Slayback, D., Shabanov, N.V. and Myneni, R.B. (2001) Variations in Northern Vegetation Activity Inferred from Satellite Data of Vegetation Index during 1981 to 1999. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 106, 20069-20083. https://doi.org/10.1029/2000jd000115