Deforestation Linked to Increased Storm Frequency in Fast-Growing African Coastal Cities, Doubling Thunderstorms in 30 Years

Deforestation tends to increase temperatures and trigger more storms, especially in coastal areas where the temperature-sensitive breeze is abundant. According to the press release via EurekAlert! the new study examines the effects of late-stage deforestation in the fast-growing African coastal cities in 1900.

Researchers found that storm frequency in these areas has doubled due to enhanced land-sea thermal contrast. These areas include the fast-growing cities of Monrovia and Freetown, where they experience high vulnerability to flash flooding.

(Photo: WIKUS DE WET/AFP via Getty Images)
Deforestation can be seen along the geotrail of the Makhonjwa Mountains near Barberton, Mpumalanga, on July 3, 2018.

Deforestation in Coastal Cities Cause More Thunderstorms

The study, titled "'Late-Stage' Deforestation Enhances Storm Trends in Coastal West Africa," published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), reveals that land-use changes across developing West African coastal cities have been experiencing the effects of climate change and extreme weather.

According to Earth.com, researchers found that the frequency of thunderstorms has doubled over the past three decades, something that is strongly associated with deforestation. The study showed that clearing the natural barrier of trees or vegetation could increase the risk of mudslides and flooding. This demonstrates the commonly overlooked link between deforestation and storms that heightens flash floods.

The 30 years' worth of satellite data on West African coasts showed how deforestation has altered the local weather patterns and how the lack of large forested areas had contributed to the worsening global warming and storm activities in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivy Coast, Guinea, Ghana, and Nigeria.

Experts who analyzed the data said that these places had twice the number of thunderstorms in the past two decades, while forested areas experienced a 40% increase in storm activity. Professor Chris Taylor of the UK Center for Ecology and Hydrology said that the extent of the increase in thunderstorms might vary in different regions depending on their local climate, although deforested coastal areas may experience similar effects.

He warned that since an estimated 40% of the world's population lives 100km off the coast, the effect of increased flash flooding could cause disruptions to the lives of millions of people, particularly in those fast-growing coastal cities in West Africa.

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Wide Deforestations in Africa Risk Climate Future

Forests in Africa are on a steady decline, weakening the continent's ecosystems to withstand climate change, Greenpeace reported. Tropical rainforests in the Congo Basin, the Guinean Forests of West Africa, and the coastal forests of East Africa are slowly being eliminated every year, which accelerates the destruction of rainforests.

Experts sound the alarm to urgently address the problem of deforestation in Africa because it is one of the major contributors to climate change. They highlighted the importance of forests, which play a huge role in keeping Earth's climate-resilient since they act as the world's carbon sinks to slow down adverse effects of global warming.

But not only the deforestation in Africa is exacerbating the effects of climate change because even deforestation in Southeast Asia significantly impacts the climate in the least resilient cities on Earth and makes it harder for these communities to cope with extreme weather events.

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Check out more news and information on Deforestation in Science Times.