Trend in extreme climates across southwestern Ghana and the implications for natural resources development

Abstract

The use of reanalysis data as pseudo observational data to analyze extreme climate events is cautioned for inconsistencies for which complimenting climate hazard analysis using observed data is imperative especially in rural West Africa where the impact is severe. Beside the effects of changing climate, is the impacts of resource extractivism that dominate rural landscapes of countries within the Mossi-Baule domain. Using available observational hydroclimatic data, the study examines the spatio-temporal trend in climate extremes and the implications for natural resources managers within southwestern Ghana. The results confirm decreasing trend in number of near normal wet years compared to extreme wet and dry years as well as significant changes in extreme rainfall and temperature across the forest zones of Ghana. Stations located in miningscapes such as Sefwi (Moist semideciduous forest) and Axim (Evergreen forest) had the highest number of dry rainfall years, and the lowest number of wet rainfall years. Similarly, extreme events such as percentage warm nights and days are significantly increasing whereas cool days and cool nights are significantly decreasing across the entire southwestern Ghana. The implications for sustainable mining can be severe including operational aspects such as infrastructural and production systems, sustainability best practices coupled with regulatory consequences. Rural livelihood resources and biodiversity are double burden by the effects of changing climate and extractive activities just as the hydrologic regime of transboundary river basins within southwestern Ghana. Emphasis for watershed approach to climate change adaptation within miningscapes is vital as illustrated in the study.