A new technique to measure the isotopic composition of water vapour has been developed by a research team from the HSM division at the IRD and scientists from Nigeria-based IRI and the LSCE, a French research center.
The technique includes a laser process, which depends on the absorption spectra of varied water molecules that create atmospheric vapour.
The stable water isotopes are used to reconstitute historic climate changes by using archives like ice cores. However, their potential to educate the researchers about the current climate variability has not been developed yet. By utilizing the innovative technique, the team has demonstrated that water isotopes are highly sensitive to physical atmospheric processes compared to basic meteorological factors, such as pressure and humidity. Since 2010, the method has been used by the IRI researchers for isotopic measurements at the Sahel region. The work received financial backing from the IRD.
The isotopic measurements have been evaluated by climatologists throughout a year and the data revealed that a very high change occurs in the accessibility of atmospheric water over the year. In addition, the research shows that the water vapour is produced due to regular interruptions of humid air from North Africa. Thus, the result implies that the climate in the Sahel region depends on very minute changes in air circulation at a regional level, mainly in the Mediterranean. Additionally, this humidity, which is present during the arrival of monsoon, plays a major role in triggering rainfall in the region.
The novel method is being made accessible to other African labs and can also be extended to additional tropical regions, where increase in precipitation level can decrease the availability of water sources, like the Andes.
Source: http://www.ird.fr/
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