Climate Atlas

Climate Change in Ghana

Changes in temperature, rainfall and sea level

The Climate of Ghana Observed Climate Trends Summary of Key Climate Indicators Visualization Temperature & Rainfall Sea Level Rise Table of Indicators Frequently Asked Questions Latest Updates Additional Materials

The Climate of Ghana

Understanding the Ghana Climate Atlas

Climate change is increasingly affecting Ghana through rising temperatures, higher sea levels, and more frequent extreme events like droughts, floods, wildfires, and coastal erosion.

The Ghana Climate Atlas is a vital tool designed to provide reliable information that enhances Ghana’s preparedness and capacity to plan for a sustainable future, adapt to changes, and manage climate risks. Through the Atlas, users can:

Access detailed Reports for in-depth climate analysis.
Explore an interactive Mapviewer to see how climate changes over time and across different administrative level.
Request for datasets to support further research and planning.
Explore Story Maps featuring case studies of climate change impacts in Ghana.
Browse our FAQs for concise answers to common questions.

Observed Climate Trends

Historical Climate Patterns in Ghana

Ghana, located between latitudes 4°N–12°N and longitudes 1.5°E–3.5°W, has a tropical climate modulated by the movement of the Intertropical Discontinuity (ITD), which drives distinct wet and dry seasons.

The wet season is influenced by moist South westerly (SW) winds and exhibits a bimodal rainfall pattern in southern Ghana and a unimodal pattern in the north.

In contrast, the dry season is dominated by North easterly (NE) winds, bringing dry and dusty conditions across the country. Temperature patterns are also seasonal, with peak temperatures typically occurring in March and the lowest in August.

Summary of Key Climate Indicators

Higher Temperatures

Temperatures are rising throughout the century, with warming occurring year- round and most increase during the dry season. The average annual temperature is projected to increase by 1.5°C, reaching approximately 29.3°C by end of century (RCP 4.5)

More Rainfall Variability

Rainfall across Ghana is expected to remain generally stable. Total annual rainfall for Ghana will likely increase by 1.8% . Increases are projected during the SON (3.6%) and JAS (13.9% ) seasons with a decline expected during the AMJ (1.7%) season.

Rise in Mean Sea Level

There is a continuous rise in mean sea level along Ghana's coastline, ranging from 0.4 to 0.7m. This may lead to an increase in coastal erosion and flooding, posing significant threats to coastal communities and infrastructure.

Visualization

Map Viewer

The Climate Atlas Mapviewer is an interactive tool designed to help users explore climate projection indicators.

Through the mapviewer, users can view annual and seasonal indicators of rainfall temperature and sea level rise and examine how these variables may change under different emission scenarios.

The platform also enables users to perform area-based analysis and view more information. Case study storymaps can accessed through the mapviewer as well.

Go to Map Viewer

StoryMaps

Explore story maps featuring community case studies on climate change in Ghana, covering issues such as coastal erosion, mangrove depletion, prolonged dry spells, seasonal migration, and the impacts of climate change on rice production.

Go to StoryMaps

Temperature & Rainfall

Warming stripes depicting the best guess (50th percentile) of the medium emission scenarion(RCP 4.5) of Average Annual Temperature from the historical period to the end of the century

Rainfall stripes depicting the best guess (50th percentile) of the medium emission scenarion(RCP 4.5) of Total Annual Rainfall from the historical period to the end of the century

Best guess (50th percentile) of the medium emission scenario (RCP 4.5) of Total Annual Rainfall & Average Annual Temperature from the historical period to the end of the century

Sea Level Rise

Area chart depicting the best guess (50th percentile) of the medium emission scenario (SSP2-4.5) of Projected Mean Sea Level Rise over the period 2021 to 2100

Mapviewer

Table of Indicators

Overview table of the key indicators presented in this report for Ghana

Indicator	Season	Reference (1991-2020)	Low emission (2081-2100)	Medium emission (2081-2100)	High emission (2081-2100)	Unit
Annual temperature	All year	27.8	0.5 [0.3 - 1]	1.5 [1.2 - 1.9]	3.7 [2.7 - 4.4]	°C
Seasonal temperature	DJF	28.2	0.6 [0.3 - 1.1]	1.6 [1.2 - 2.2]	3.9 [2.6 - 5.0]	°C
Seasonal temperature	AMJ	28.6	3.9 [2.6 - 5.0]	1.5 [1.2 - 2.0]	3.7 [2.9 - 4.2	°C
Seasonal temperature	JAS	26.0	0.5 [0.2 - 0.8]	1.3 [1.0 - 1.9]	3.3 [2.3 - 4.1]	°C
Seasonal temperature	SON	27.0	0.5 [0.3 - 0.9]	1.4 [1.1 - 1.9	3.6 [2.4 - 4.4]	°C
Annual temperature	All year	1221	12 [-96 - 97]	22 [-59 - 103]	17 [-210 - 216]	mm
Seasonal rainfall	Dry season (DJF)	53	2 [-6 - 11]	-3 [-18 -13]	0 [-18 - 25]	mm
Seasonal rainfall	Wet season (AMJ)	444	-13 [-49 - 23]	-8 [-43 - 42]	-31 [-135 - 71]	mm
Seasonal rainfall	Wet season (JAS)	469	20 [-50 - 77]	18 [-38 - 69]	38 [-112 - 147]	mm
Seasonal rainfall	Wet Season (SON)	371	0.8 [0.6 - 1.3]	15 [-22 - 53]	23 [-41 - 94]	mm
Mean sea level	All year	N/A	0.42[ 0.29 - 0.6]	0.52 [0.38 - 0.72]	0.69[0.53 -0.92]	m

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to frequently asked questions.

General understanding of the climate and climate change

What is the difference between weather and climate?

Weather is a short-term condition or state of the atmosphere in a particular place, while climate describes the long-term statistical patterns of these conditions over decades (typically at least 30 years). Thus, climate is the long-term pattern of weather conditions in a particular place.

What is climate change?

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), defines climate change as a change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere, and which is in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable time periods.

Is Ghana already experiencing climate change?

Yes. Evidence indicates rising temperatures, unpredictable rainfall patterns, and a growing number of extreme events such as floods, droughts, and coastal erosion. These changes are already affecting agriculture, water availability, and food security, making it more difficult for many communities to sustain their livelihoods and increasing the risk of economic and environmental challenges.

What is climate adaptation?

Climate adaptation means adjusting how we live and work to reduce the impacts of climate change, such as using drought-resistant crops or improving drainage systems

Who needs information on climate projections?

Climate projections provide information for the long-term horizon, up to the end of the 21st century and even beyond, based on different scenarios of future societal development. They offer the potential to inform current adaptation efforts and increase society’s resilience to climate change and variability. They can serve as input for decision makers and policymakers to support local and/or national adaptation strategies for combating climate change threats. Information on climate projections is essential for government institutions, businesses, farmers, researchers, local communities, humanitarian organizations, urban planners, schools, environmental groups, health organizations, and many more. It supports making informed decisions, adapting to the impacts of climate change, and effectively planning for future challenges.

About Ghana Climate Atlas

What is a Climate Atlas?

A Climate Atlas is a detailed collection of information about the climate of a specific region or the world at different timescales, represented in output data, maps, and visualizations. It can be in an online interactive visualization tool format or a report with static climate change images. It provides easy access to information on changes in climate for regions.

What is the Ghana Climate Atlas used for?

The Ghana Climate Atlas describes potential future climates in Ghana. This information can be used for climate actions and to support decision-making processes. Climate information can be applied across various fields, providing essential insights for understanding and addressing climate change. Here are some uses of the Ghana Climate Atlas (this list is not exhaustive)

-Climate change awareness, adaptation, and mitigation

-Agriculture and food security planning

-Early warning and disaster risk reduction strategies

-Policy making

-Socioeconomic planning

And many more

Who produced the Ghana Climate Atlas?

The Ghana Climate Atlas is an ongoing initiative by the Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) in partnership with the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI), together with the support from the Danish Embassy of Accra, under the strategic sector cooperation between Ghana and Denmark. For questions and requests, please contact the client service at gmetclient@gmail.com.

Does the Ghana Climate Atlas contain observational real-time data?

There is no real-time observational data in the Ghana Climate Atlas, as Climate Atlas is not intended for short-term weather forecasts. It focuses far into the future, and the data for this does not change from day to day.

What are the products in the Ghana Climate Atlas?

The Ghana Climate Atlas provides projections into the future climate of Ghana using multiple emission scenarios (low, medium and high). Although the Ghana Climate Atlas will be periodically reviewed to incorporate new climate indicators and updated datasets, the currently available products include maps, graphs, NetCDF files, and CSV files. These products illustrate changes in temperature, rainfall, and sea level rise specific to Ghana. Specifically, the Ghana climate atlas currently has:

Climate indicator visualisations:

Annual and seasonal average temperature projections for the near term (2021 – 2040), mid century (2041 – 2060), and end of century (2081 – 2100)
Annual and seasonal total rainfall projection for the near term (2021 – 2040), mid century (2041 – 2060), and end of century (2081 –2100)
Relative sea level rise projection for the near term (2021 – 2040), mid century (2041 –2060), and end of century (2081 –2100)

Ghana Climate Atlas Report:

A national report showing selected climate indicator visualisation, find the report here: [link]
It also has an Overview Table with summarized information of the report in a tabular form.

Online visualization tool:

Climate indicators in warming stripes, and time series formats. Go to charts
Mapviewer: an online interactive tool that allows users to display, interact with, and analyze geospatial data. It is used for visualizing maps, spatial datasets, and geographic information.
Options to download the data in Excel spreadsheet form or the figures.

How can I access the Ghana Climate Atlas? Can I download it?

All products and reports available in the Ghana Climate Atlas can be accessed from the GMet website. The reports can be downloaded in PDF format.

Scientific concepts behind Climate Atlas

What is an Emission Scenario and how are they used in the Ghana Climate Atlas?

Emission scenarios in the field of climate change represent possible future pathways of greenhouse gas and aerosol emissions, helping to project future climate conditions. Each IPCC Assessment Report introduces a new set of scenarios. The two latest sets of scenarios are the Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs, used in CMIP5 and IPCC AR5) and the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs, used in CMIP6). RCPs define greenhouse gas concentration trajectories while SSPs describe socioeconomic conditions, land use changes, and human activities influencing emissions. RCPs focus on a range of potential future changes in greenhouse gas concentrations and do not explicitly account for socioeconomic developments. SSPs are narratives of potential futures that consider social and economic factors. They can be used to explore possible global development pathways and are useful when assessing potential climate change impacts.

The Ghana Climate Atlas makes use of these two types of emission scenarios. Specifically, the Ghana climate atlas includes three emission scenarios:

Low: RCP2.6 / SSP1-2.6
Medium: RCP4.5 / SSP3-4.5
High: RCP8.5 / SSP5-8.5

What are climate projections?

Climate projections are simulations of Earth’s climate for the future, usually until 2100, based on assumed 'emission scenarios' for the concentrations of greenhouse gases, aerosols, and other atmospheric constituents that affect the planet’s radiative balance (https://climate.copernicus.eu/climate-projections). The climate projections in the Ghana Climate Atlas are based on dynamically downscaled datasets from the CORDEX-Africa suite of downscaled climate models. To avoid relying on estimates from a single model, multiple models are used, and estimates based on their average are obtained. Using multiple models also enables the calculation of the uncertainty surrounding the projected best estimates of climate indicators.

What is the difference between indicators and variables?

In the context of the Ghana Climate Atlas:

Climate variable: We refer to gridded climate data in its native time resolution as a "climate variable". This can include the output produced directly by a climate model or observations. It can also include derived variables that are produced as a combination of other variables from the same data source, or in interaction with other data sources (e.g., as in bias correction). Examples include temperature, precipitation, etc.
Climate indicator: Climate variables can then be translated into climate indicators via a processing scheme involving the generation of some form of summary statistic (e.g., a mean or sum) over time. Examples include average annual temperature, seasonal average of July to September rainfall, etc.

Why are emission scenarios important?

Emission scenarios are used in climate research to provide plausible descriptions of how the future may evolve with respect to a range of variables, including socio-economic change, technological change, energy and land-use, emissions of greenhouse gases and air pollutants. They are used as input for climate model runs and as a basis for assessment of possible climate impacts, mitigation options and associated costs.

Methods used in the development of the Ghana Climate Atlas

What type of climate models were used?

Thirty-nine (39) dynamically downscaled climate models, derived from a CORDEX-Africa suite of climate models, were used to generate climate indicators in the Ghana Climate Atlas. The key climate variables currently available in the atlas are:

Temperature
Rainfall
Sea level rise

How was the Ghana Climate Atlas produced?

The Ghana Climate Atlas was produced through a collaboration between GMet (Ghana Meteorological Agency), the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI). The process involved extensive data analysis and projections, as well as stakeholder engagements to ensure the Climate Atlas meets the needs of various users in public, private, and civil sectors.

What software and tools were used to develop the Ghana Climate Atlas?

The Ghana Climate Atlas was developed using KAPy (Klimaatlas python, DMI, https://github.com/Klimaatlas/KAPy/). KAPy is an open-source and flexible framework developed and maintained by DMI that can be used to generate tailor-made climate indicators, using datasets such as CMIP and CORDEX together with observations.

How often is the climate atlas updated?

The Ghana Climate Atlas is updated in relation to new datasets and indicators. It is an iterative process, where stakeholders will be engaged in developing new climate information. When new climate model datasets become available, the climate indicators in the climate atlas will be regenerated using the latest datasets, and consequently, an update of the climate atlas will be released.

How to use the Climate Atlas Dashboard and Mapviewer

How do I navigate to the Climate Atlas Dashboard?

You can open the Climate Atlas Dashboard directly from the homepage of the Ghana Meteorological Agency’s website by selecting the “Climate Atlas” tab in the navigation menu.

Once on the dashboard, users can explore visualizations of climate patterns and projections across Ghana. It also provides links to additional sections, including the Map Viewer, StoryMaps reports, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), Table of Indicators,etc.

How do I use the Dashboard ?

You can navigate the dashboard using the navigation tabs and embedded links, depending on the information you are looking for.

For example, if you want to learn more about the Climate Atlas, you can click on the “Frequently Asked Questions” tab to go directly to that section. The “Use of the Ghana Climate Atlas” section also includes helpful links to key parts of the dashboard.

To analyse projections of climate indicators under different emission scenarios, go to the Map Viewer link. If you are interested in community-based climate change case studies, you can follow the storymap link to explore topics such as coastal erosion, mangrove depletion, and the impacts of climate change on agriculture.

Similarly, reports, indicator summaries, data tables, and other resources can be accessed through their respective tabs or links where available.