Abstract ID: 3.12463 | Accepted as Talk | Talk/Oral | TBA | TBA

Rapidly retreating glaciers in Eastern Africa, such as at the summit of Kilimanjaro, are highly sensitive to moisture and precipitation variability. Previous research has shown that on sub-seasonal timescales, precipitation variability in this region is closely related to the wind direction, with precipitation more probable on days where the wind blows anomalously from the west, advecting moisture from the Congo basin. However, the role of westerly moisture transport events on precipitation in high elevation areas, and the impact of these precipitation events on glaciers in the region, has received relatively little attention. Here, we use the ERA5 reanalysis and 20 years of surface height change observations from the glacier on Kilimanjaro to investigate how regional moisture transport patterns are manifested at high elevations in Eastern Africa and the role they play in driving sub-seasonal precipitation variability on Kilimanjaro.