Mukwada G
University of the Free State, South Africa
Title: Is there any relationship between the spatiotemporal variability of ozone concentration in the Pacific Ocean and ecosystem phenology in the Drakensberg Mountains
Biography
Biography: Mukwada G
Abstract
Climate change is posing a threat to ecosystem health in mountain regions. Mountain environments are not only fragile because they are easily be affected by extreme climate conditions but they also provide signals of climatic change and its impact on ecosystem phenology. Based on both vegetation and climate indices, this study assesses how ecosystem phenology within the Namahadi Catchment Area of the Drakensberg Mountains in South Africa has been affected by climate change. In recently published research it had been shown that the variability of ozone concentration in the Pacific Region was responsible for drought occurrence across southern Africa, while it was also revealed that there are sentinel ‘pristine sites’ within the catchment from which the impact of climate change can be effectively assessed. Using climate data from CRU-TS and Landsat images, climate and vegetation indices for the pristine sites were computed and correlation analyses undertake to determine if there was any teleconnections between the variability concentration of ozone in the Pacific Ocean and climate indices and vegetation phenology at the pristine sites. Based on the results, the study concludes that it may be possible to predict drought once extreme signals of ozone concentration have attained specific thresholds in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. This knowledge is important for drought monitoring and disaster preparedness in mountain areas.
