coetzee africa ozonerpt

8/14/2019 Coetzee Africa OzoneRpt

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The Africa Context

Africa is the world's second largest continentspread. 6% of the Earth's total surface areaand 20.4% of the total land area on the surfaceof the Earth. In terms of population as well,Africa have more than 900 million peopleinhabiting the continent - 14% of the world'stotal population. There are a total of 46

countries on the continental mainland and thenumber climbs up to 53 if we include all theisland groups as well.

The Africa continent - are home to diversecultural and geographic features. A continentthat is most susceptible to the influence anddetrimental effects of Global Climate Change.Represented countries at the meeting hereand/or those reported are about 15 of the 53.

A Summary Report, WMO REGION1 AFRICA(For the UNEP/WMO 7ORM Meeting 18-21May2008, Geneva)


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Compliance issues of the Montreal

Protocol and its amendments

Many African countries are serious inaddressing the compliance of theProtocol and many are before thescheduled phasing-out of OzoneDepletion Substances (ODSs).

In general all countries, except for ahandful of the leading developingcountries, are the less manufacturers,exporters and emission ventingculprits of the world.

The verification of atmosphericmonitoring and research activities thusremains lacking far behind theseaforementioned compliance drivers,for they are the more resourcedemanding and inhibiting factors that

most countries are faced with.

A Summary Report, WMO REGION1 AFRICA(For the UNEP/WMO 7ORM Meeting 18-21May2008, Geneva)


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In the true sense expansive regional networks is really non-existing

except in regions where major First World Countries are very activecollaborating. Some of these main activities are found in northern andwestern Africa regions (French Western Africa) and to a lesser extent ineastern and southern Africa. Some of the major developed worldcollaboration is from European countries such as, France, Norway,Switzerland, Czech Republic and few others. And then from USA.

One can sense that the three Global GAW Stations is a major impetusand focal point on the continent, and although not each country needsuch a Global station, a few more could prove to be further stimulant toenhance the magnitude on regional scale activities. The three WMOGAW global stations are Tamanrasset - Algeria, Cape Point - SouthAfrica and Mt Kenya, Kenya.

Undoubtedly, by far the most African countries are dependant on theirestablished National Meteorological Services (NMHS) with one or twolocal universities collaborating on very limited scales. It should also benoted that NMHS traditionally are orientated in rendering nationalservices of Weather forecasting and the provision of basic climateinformation and the atmospheric components of research andmonitoring is a specialization not easy to be afford.

Notably the observations are ground-based instrumentation with one ortwo aircraft platforms available for monitoring and research purposes.The ground based platforms are also the most basic platforms with UV

radiation monitoring receiving some wide spread attention.

Africa involvement in global issues such as those of the Artic andAntarctic is really not evident. It is only detectible in the one or twocountries on the continent that have direct territorial/political interest inthese regions. Africa Priorities are limited to the African Continent There is no room for using resources for diverse involvement in spitethe global importance of the Pole Regions also for Africa.

The Africa involvement ranges from a few countries involved inelaborated programs, but many others seemingly has a complete lack ofany involvement. The countries on the forefront are also those whoreally have very strong collaboration partners and investors from

either the European Community or USA.

Ozone and related monitoring and

observation network/activities


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Through WMO/UNEP initiatives and NHMS awarenesscampaigns do benefit local awareness. Primitive/basicand sophisticated in-country activities are depicted onvarious websites. Furthermore, outreach to ruralcommunities does occur. So indeed 16th September World Ozone Day day for the protection of the OzoneLayer has succeeded in its aim, and these activities should

be maintained and even encourage further.

Very limited research efforts are undertaken. Mostlylimited to one or two in-country research professors with

only one or two students. This emphasizes the limitedprojects in the areas of monitoring/datacollections/analyzing and degree/dissertations write ups,which ultimately e spell the end of a short and sometimesexpensive collaborative project. The realsustained longterm measurements do not benefit from these efforts.Resources in this manner is utilized some time at greatvalue for limited periods, as instruments fall into disuseand are discarded thereafter.

Ozone and related modeling and process studies is nonexisting. However during some large scale sub-continentResearch projects such as SAFARI 2000 many fieldexperiments has been conducted with very profoundresults of data collection and research finding beings

published.

Africa Research Efforts


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Fact: Major and large ground-based observation gaps existover Africa. A critical shortage of regional centers does exist.The model of Global GAW station connecting to a vastregional network may prove to be a new model to approachfor enhancing country participating. Keeping in mind not eachcountry need to have or maintain a Global station.

In-country expertise for instrument maintenance andinstrument operation is in need of further support. In thissense NMHS (technical divisions) can play a greater role forfacilitating local endeavors.

Many collaboration is based on short term collaborationresearch projects (secondary university degree studies), butonce this is completed the instruments are packed away andefforts are not sustained. Universities should collaborate moreand more with Operational institutions such as the countries

NMHS, disasters management structures including earlywarning infrastructures and environmental protectionagencies.

Sustained collaboration for expertise in the capacity buildingof laboratories even small broadband instruments could bevery useful, -hand held ozone meters, etc could contribute tosustained monitoring efforts. Collaboration in major

initiatives do not allow mostly for instrumentation/operationalinvestments, such as the European Framework 7 Program.There is a very limited African participation in these

programs, as the Need to bring own resources to participateis in most cases extremely difficult.

It is reported that many countries are also involved in air-quality monitoring activities in cities. These efforts also willneed integration into the wider atmosphere monitoringscientific communities. Potentially this can be seen as a viablemechanism to enhance in-country capacity thus building onAir Quality monitoring infrastructure and such new initiatives.

Africa Gaps and

Recommendations Part 1


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Africa Gaps and

Recommendations Part two

More resources for African workshops. Instrument calibrations as it is are extremely expensive for countries to participate with their own resources.

Major ozone symposiums and workshop are held in the developed work and especially the northern hemispheres. E.G 8ORM can be held at the Ozone Secretariat

in Nairobi 2011. Perhaps we shall see more African and Asian participants to be a ble to attend. More international support for attendance of workshops andinternational symposiums, but also with some ongoing research project coupled to this is needed for sustained efforts over longer periods.

A real need for expert visits to Africa to maintain the scientific interest. This also includes technical expertise to assist with the few operating networks andinstruments. The most expensive instrument could be rendered out-of-order due to a fuse not being able to be replaced or power supply difficulties. A global or

regional slush fund for this could be created for identified countries and their instrumentation and operating networks.

Trust fund is inadequate and we need to convince /leverage the UNFCCC/GEF Multilateral Clean Development Mechanisms CDM type of funding levels. CDM typeof funding for the expansion of ozone monitoring and research: - for various reasons.

Can we not convince the Space Agencies of the World to invest more in Ground-based monitoring efforts after all for satellite validation and ground truthingefforts; this is the data they also desperately need. Funding could be drawn Satellite observation programs. Those Satellite programs operate with enormous budgetsof the Developed World / Government funding and thus the tax payers monies. This statement might be not true as the funding for these allocations are just not

visible to the ground based monitoring communities.

Ozonesonde soundings (vertical profiling) occur only in three locations on the Africa continent. (The estimate cost is about 1 000US$ per single sounding that

excluding the initial ground based tracking systems as a once off investment).

Caution More Dobsons for Africa. Keep in mindfor the long term sustainment (20-30 years etc) great cost for future calibrations etc. needs to be taken intoaccount as well. As Africa may get more ground based instruments, one must not create a too heavy burden on countries to sustain these themselves. From Dobsonexperience this is a real effort to maintain operational and requires special and continuous observer and technical training to remain within that particular country.

Modernization for Africa in the future could be another major issues in years to come.

UV monitoring - only with some f ew broadband instrumentation and this is basically not useful for any trend assessments of UV exposure.

Thus some countries have data- short term and even with many data gaps, but the owners of such data should be encourage further to publish and submit informationthe many international newsletters in our scientific communities, to publications such as SPARC, WCRP, MeteoNews, IGBP, IGAC,SOLAS etc.

More regional GAWTEC/WMO, Germany initiatives could be very helpful if it could be directed towards an Africa GAWTEC. WMO Regional Training Centers for

Africa and other r egions could place more emphasis and dedication towards atmospheric monitoring and research training sessions. - Traditional these centers focuses

on Weather Forecasting, Climate variability, Numerical Weather Prediction, and other more popular related topics traditionally linked to a MeteorologicalService.Recommendations


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Africa Gaps and

Recommendations Part Three Can we not convince the Space Agencies of the World to invest more in Ground-based monitoring efforts

after all for satellite validation and ground truthing efforts; this is the data they also desperately need. Funding

could be drawn Satellite observation programs. Those Satellite programs operate with enormous budgets of the

Developed World / Government funding and thus the tax payers monies. This statement might be not true as

the funding for these allocations are just not visible to the ground based monitoring communities.

Ozonesonde soundings (vertical profiling) occur only in three locations on the Africa continent. (The estimate

cost is about 1 000US$ per single sounding that excluding the initial ground based tracking systems as a once

off investment).

Caution More Dobsons for Africa. Keep in mindfor the long term sustainment (20-30 years etc) greatcost for future calibrations etc. needs to be taken into account as well. As Africa may get more ground based

instruments, one must not create a too heavy burden on countries to sustain these themselves. From Dobson

experience this is a real effort to maintain operational and requires special and continuous observer and

technical training to remain within that particular country. Modernization for Africa in the future could be

another major issues in years to come.

UV monitoring - only with some few broadband instrumentation and this is basically not useful for any trend

assessments of UV exposure.

Thus some countries have data- short term and even with many data gaps, but the owners of such data should beencourage further to publish and submit information the many international newsletters in our scientific

communities, to publications such as SPARC, WCRP, MeteoNews, IGBP, IGAC,SOLAS etc.

More regional GAWTEC/WMO, Germany initiatives could be very helpful if it could be directed towards an

Africa GAWTEC. WMO Regional Training Centers for Africa and other regions could place more emphasis

and dedication towards atmospheric monitoring and research training sessions. - Traditional these centers

focuses on Weather Forecasting, Climate variability, Numerical Weather Prediction, and other more popular

related topics traditionally linked to a Meteorological Service.Recommendations


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Some reports that was available from countries.

Egypt Very Active Algeria Very Active Madagascar -French (Focus on Protocol compliance - ozone

research and Monitoring not existing) Ethiopia Verbal communications (a submitted a report concerning

ODS and Emissions Inventories. Botswana Very Limited. Compliance and the Maun Dobson Station. Tanzania Reasonable activities, Focus on meteorology and UV

Mt Kilimanjaro Kenya active with Swiss support. Limited activities

Nigeria limited activities. Compliance issues a focus Togo - No instruments no research. Some GAW expectations. Station

Kauma-Konda , but no progress Morocco, Casablanca What happened to Your Dobson 69-1989?

Brewer Mark II and Mark III -and Dobson Problems. Uganda no monitoring and research activities. - Kampala City

needs Surface ozone measurements. Discussions with Zambia, Ghana and Sudan representatives at this

meeting also reveal the same limitations of activities on Ozonemonitoring and relevant research issues. The ODP phase out andemissions compliance are the priorities linked also to Climate Changeimpact and adaptation priorities.

Comoros Some activities and compliance protocol Issues. South Africa Very active, However no real tangible monitoring and

research efforts in Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia, Angola, etc. France Involvement in La reunion and other western African

Regions. SAOZ measurements perhaps the most concentratedresearch efforts through FRANCE.

Benin in French support

from countries.


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The END

coetzee africa ozonerpt

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