International Coastal Clean-up Day 2022

Volunteers at International Coastal Clean-up Day 2022.

International Coastal Cleanup Day 2022 was on Saturday 17th September 2022. This event was established by the Ocean Conservancy, and is observed in multiple countries across the globe every year. This year was the fifth consecutive year that the Gambia Ocean Heroes organized their cleanups on ICC Day 2022. 

This year’s ICC Day clean-up by the Gambia Ocean Heroes was held at Solomon’s Beach Bar and Restaurant, in partnership with the National Environment Agency Gambia and other collaborators, including Gambia Tourism Board, Kanifing Municipal Council, Africell Gambia, Sunu Kerr, Best Water, S Star Water, QTV, GRTS TV, and Peace Hub The Gambia.

Even though it was raining in the morning, our volunteers still showed up and helped clean the beach! It was amazing to see everyone being part of the solution, not the pollution!

Why There Has Been A Sudden Increase In Rainfall In The Gambia

Earlier this year, The Gambia recorded its heaviest rainfall in more than 30 years, causing widespread flooding, infrastructure and property loss, and at least two deaths (Saine, P., 2022). Extreme weather is often believed to be a consequence of global warming, which is reflected in other tropical countries facing similar situations regarding heavy rainfall and flooding during this year’s monsoon season. However, annual flooding is a common occurrence in countries like The Gambia, yet each year there is a large impact on housing and community wellbeing.

Over the past few years, the annual precipitation levels in The Gambia have been decreasing as a result of a shorter monsoon period (Ceesay and Touray, 2022). This has also increased variability in inter-annual rainfall, which is in accordance with the West African predictions made in this year’s IPCC report, which stated that “there will be extreme variability in rainfall, ranging between a 50% increase and a 50% decrease” (GREAT Institute, 2022).

Most of the precipitation patterns across The Gambia can be attributed to the movement of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) from Western Africa in May to Northern Africa in August.

However, due to La Niña affecting the climate this year, there has been a notable effect on precipitation worldwide, and it is possible that the effects have reached across Africa to The Gambia as well. 

The ocean-atmosphere system of La Niña means that convection and rainfall remain suppressed over the western and central tropical Pacific but enhanced in other areas, resulting in a lack of rainfall in Eastern Africa.

The impact of this increased rainfall is pronounced in developing countries, due to a lack of proper drainage systems and poor urban planning. Most developing countries have a high rate of urbanisation and population increase, but the infrastructure of the population-dense cities, like Banjul, are not climate resilient, leading to more damage to the community during extreme climate-related events.

Hurricane Season in the Atlantic Ocean

Hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean form off the west coast of Africa when increased precipitation causes thunderstorms. The dark towering thunderstorm with high air pressure begins to push down and rotate around an area of low atmospheric pressure. This “new” air becomes warm and moist and rises, too.

Warm ocean water provides energy to the circling thunderstorm, and the thunderstorms can grow into a single tropical storm with winds blowing more than 63 kph to a full hurricane at 119 kph. Scientists have agreed that the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) does contribute to the formation of hurricanes, but La Niña can cause a more active hurricane season. The eye of the hurricane is the most powerful circular area of the hurricane, generating energy up to 119 kph.

As the west coast of the Atlantic Ocean is experiencing the current hurricane season, one must remember that all hurricanes lose energy when on land due to the loss of energy from the warm waters. According to NOAA, an average hurricane season produces 14 named storms, of which 3 to 6 will become major hurricanes. They also predicted that the ongoing La Niña conditions are predicted to stay the same for the rest of 2022. To learn more about hurricanes, check out NOAA’s hurricane science and forecasting expertise by viewing our Hurricane Season Media Resource Guide, and stay tuned to the National Hurricane Center for the latest about tropical storms and hurricane activity in the Atlantic.

GREAT Institute's Gambia Environmental Monitoring System (GEMS)

The Gambia Environmental Monitoring Systems (GEMS) research programme collects aquatic and terrestrial data at eight (8) sites along the river Gambia since 2021 in efforts to monitor any changes in the environment due to climate change. The GEMS programme is the first comprehensive environmental and biodiversity dataset to support long-term socio-ecological research, development, and management for The Gambia’s aquatic ecosystems.

 The objective of the GEMS research programme are:

• To monitor, record, and evaluate changes to the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics along the river Gambia to improve environmental assessments and inform preventative and mitigative strategies.

• To build local capacity to actively participate in environmental conservation and management.

In 2021, the technical team collected baseline data every month to assess the environment. In 2022, the team collected seasonal data every quarter. The parameters collected at each research site are pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, salinity, sea surface temperature, atmospheric pressure, air temperature, humidity, windspeed, wind chill, air pressure, altitude, and dew point.

 Understanding One Health

Human health and the health of our planet are inextricably linked, and the degradation of the natural systems scientists and decision makers are developing an integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimize the health of people, animals and ecosystems. (OHHLEP One Health definition, 2021).

Many organizations have set priorities to balance the need for both human health and a healthy planet. One Health and The Rockefeller Foundation-Lancet Commission on Planetary Health programs are at the forefront in to ensure that global ecosystems continue to provide the services that are essential for human health and wellbeing.  The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) and the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) promotes the One Health approach with partnerships with institutions such as United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). This Quadripartite design and implement programmes, biosecurity initiatives, enables policies and, where relevant, regulatory frameworks to ensure health security from communities to national and international level:

• Improving early warning systems

• Strengthening biosecurity for pest and disease management

• Effective emergency preparedness and response

• Heightening Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) risk management

• Enhancing One Health systems

Key Facts:

• 60 percent of all human infectious diseases are zoonotic in origin and some 75 percent jump species

• USD 8 trillion to USD 16 trillion is the estimated cost of the COVID-19 pandemic

Although the One Health approach is not new, it has become more important in the recent years. With continuous coordination, partnerships, and communications of the triad of human health, animal health, and the environment, One Health approaches will support global health security.