Abstract ID: 3.12129 | 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. On sub-seasonal timescales, previous research has shown that 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 exact nature of the westerly circulation and the role played by interactions between regional moisture transport and the mountain topography in generating precipitation over the glaciers, is not well understood. Here, we use methods developed from studies of atmospheric rivers to objectively identify “westerly moisture transport events” (WMTEs), facilitating new insights into the seasonal distribution and importance of these westerlies, their impact on high elevation regions, and the role of both the Madden-Julian Oscillation and tropical cyclones in their development. Finally, we also use observations from the glacier at Kilimanjaro to investigate the role of WMTEs as drivers of sub-seasonal precipitation variability at high elevations near Kilimanjaro’s glaciers.