A drying Congo basin? Detection and attribution of the hydroclimatic trends in the Congo basin to anthropogenic activities.

Recent studies have attributed the unequivocal global warming and associated changes in weather to anthropogenic activities, including climate change and land and water resources management. Despite climate change being identified as the key driver of trends in the hydrological cycle for most regions of the world, there are hardly any studies carried out within Central Africa and particularly for the Congo basin. This is a major scientific shortcoming, as the basin hosts both the world’s second-largest river and forest, which have both undergone recent drying trends. The main aim of this project is therefore to develop robust evidence of the effects of anthropogenic forcings on the hydroclimate within the Congo basin. The output of this research will fill the knowledge gap on the hydrological trends in this region and enable the implementation of mitigation and adaptation measures for the basin by local policy makers.