Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University Geosciences Theses Department of Geosciences 5-10-2019 Rainfall in an Equatorial Africa Transition Zone: Examining Rainy- Season Characteristics and Trends in Western Uganda Hae Seung Sung Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/geosciences_theses Recommended Citation Sung, Hae Seung, "Rainfall in an Equatorial Africa Transition Zone: Examining Rainy-Season Characteristics and Trends in Western Uganda." Thesis, Georgia State University, 2019. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/geosciences_theses/122 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Geosciences at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Geosciences Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. RAINFALL IN AN EQUATORIAL AFRICA TRANSITION ZONE: EXAMINING RAINY- SEASON CHARACTERISTICS AND TRENDS IN WESTERN UGANDA by HAE SEUNG SUNG Under the Direction of Jeremy Diem, PhD ABSTRACT While long-term rainfall trends and related atmospheric dynamics in eastern equatorial Africa (EEA) and central equatorial Africa (CEA) has been researched over the past several decades, much less is known about rainfall in western Uganda. This region is considered a rainfall transition zone between CEA and EEA. Using multiple rainfall and atmospheric datasets, this study examines the controls of and trends in seasonal rainfall across western Uganda for the 1983-2017 period. Rainy (dry) seasons were characterized by rising (sinking) air and increased (decreased) specific humidity. In addition, the tropical rain belt existed across CEA and not over EEA during the western Uganda rainy seasons. And wet days within rainy seasons have increased westerly flow from the Congo basin.