Climate Change Hazards Identification in the Maputo Area

As stated in the fourth report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), climate change is affecting temperatures, sea levels, and storm frequencies in the entire world. While changes in average conditions can have serious consequences by themselves, the main impacts of climate change will be felt through weather extremes and the consequent risk of natural disasters. This chapter provides an overall picture of the climate conditions in the Maputo region, through the analysis of climatic data from the Maputo-Mavalane station (1960-2006). The current climate dynamics are analyzed and future climate scenarios are briefly considered, based on the literature of Mozambique. The study is especially focused on the aspects that most influence the management of a large city like Maputo. As such, attention is centered on the analysis of intense phenomena. The aim of this work is to contribute to local administrators' understanding of climatic phenomena and their processes.