WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE HARMATTAN?

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE HARMATTAN?

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE HARMATTAN?
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The Harmattan is a cold-dry and dusty trade wind, blowing over the
West African subcontinent.
This northeasterly wind blows from the Sahara Desert into the Gulf
of Guinea between the end of November and the middle of March.

Trade winds are the prevailing pattern of easterly surface winds
found in the tropics, within the lower portion of the troposphere
near the Earth’s equator.

The trade winds blow predominantly from the northeast in the Northern
Hemisphere and from the southeast in the Southern Hemisphere, strengthening
during the winter and when the Arctic oscillation is in its warm phase.
Historically, the trade winds have been used by captains of sailing
ships to cross the world’s oceans for centuries.

Back to the Harmattan. Have you ever wondered where it got its name
from? The name Harmattan comes from or is related to an Akan cognate.
Akan is a Central Tano language that is the principal native language
of the Akan people of Ghana.

The Harmattan blows as we all know during the dry season. On its
passage over the Sahara it picks up fine dust and sand particles
(between 0.5 and 10 microns).

Effects of the Harmattan

The Harmattan is characterized by wide fluctuations in the ambient
temperatures of the day and night.

Ambient temperature simply means “the temperature of the surroundings”
and will be the same as room temperature indoors. Temperatures might
range from 9°C to as high as 30°C. The relative humidity drops under 10%.

Humidity is the amount of moisture or water vapour in the atmosphere.
The Harmattan brings desert-like weather conditions. As stated above,
it lowers humidity, dissipates cloud cover (making the sun to scorch
in daytime), prevents rainfall formation and sometimes creates cloud
of dust which can result in sandstorms.

Also read;HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM THE HARMATTAN

A regular feature of the Harmattan is the Harmattan Haze. It is
comparable to a fog although unlike it, it is an accumulation of heavy
amount of dust. When the haze is weak, the sky is clear and airlines
then could have their flights. The Harmattan aids in bush and forest fire.
Nomads and hunters illegally burn forests for game during this season.

It is likely during the Harmattan to experience a spontaneous
nosebleed. This is caused by the drop in humidity to as low as 15%.
Some other health effects on humans include, conditions of the eyes,
skin and respiratory system (catarrh being one reoccurring ailment).
It is known to aggravate asthma.

How should you protect yourself from the Harmattan? Check out the
second part of this article, PROTECTING YOURSELF FROM THE HARMATTAN.