Mesoscale convective systems and contributions to flood cases in Southern West Africa (SWA): A systematic review

Abstract

Flood-related fatalities and associated economic losses have increased in Southern West Africa (SWA). The increased flood-associated damages highlighted the growing global concern for developing early warning forecast and control flood events in the region. This review has documented flood case studies in twelve countries within the area through a review of available literature. The Goddard Scattering Algorithm (GSCAT) methodology was adopted to investigate the contribution of Mesoscale Convective Systems (MCSs) to the selected flood cases. We comprehensively reviewed sixteen high-impact rainfall events within SWA and specifically explored the contributions of MCSs to these floods. This review pointed out critical research gaps in the context of limited documentation of the bulk of flood cases in the region. Also, the need for more studies into what meteorological events cause floods in the region. Our findings showed that the floods had at least 31% and not more than 60% MCSs contributions in the area. Therefore, the study recommends increased flood case studies and more research that establishes the synoptic and dynamic environments of flood cases within South-Western Africa.

Keywords

• Review
• Floods
• Mesoscale convective systems
• Thermodynamic
• South Western Africa