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Wetter but hotter conditions in Mauritania? Volume 24, issue 2, Avril-Mai-Juin 2013

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Authors
Université de Rouen UMR CNRS 6228 IDEES Rue Lavoisier 76821 Mont-Saint-Aignan cedex France, Université de Rouen UMR CNRS 6143 M2C Place Émile-Blondel 76821 Mont-Saint-Aignan cedex France

Significant climatic change is affecting a large part of our planet. Different models forecast likely increases in precipitation and temperature in many parts of the world. The present research analyzes the general trends of rainfall, temperature and sandstorms over a half a century of observations in Mauritania. This study shows that, after the great drought of the seventies and eighties, a significant increase of wet and normal years have been observed in the last decade. At the same time, the minimum temperatures recorded in this part of the Sahel have increased steadily since the seventies. Finally, wind speed and lithometeor observations show sharp declines after recording the highest values during dry periods.