article · Earth system science data
Africa currently has a very low density of hydrometric stations measuring river discharge, despite having had a substantial network operating until the 1970s. To address data gaps, the African Database of Hydrometric Indices (ADHI) gathers quality-controlled hydrometric indices and hydrological signatures derived from multiple data sources. The compilation covers 1,466 stations across most of the continent's climatic zones, with each station providing at least ten years of daily discharge data between 1950 and 2018. Across the network, the average observation record spans 33 years, and 131 stations contain complete records extending beyond 50 years. The database provides metrics representing average flow characteristics alongside extreme conditions, such as low flows and floods. Accessible to the scientific community, the resource is designed to receive regular updates that will incorporate additional monitoring stations and longer river discharge time series.
Understanding water availability, drought patterns, and flood risks across Africa requires reliable long-term river flow measurements. Because operational monitoring networks have sharply declined since the 1970s, this centralised and quality-checked database restores access to decades of historical river discharge information, helping analysts examine critical water trends across diverse climatic environments.
The abstract presents an openly accessible scientific dataset rather than a commercial product. While hydrological modellers, infrastructure planners, and environmental risk assessors could draw on its discharge metrics for flood and drought analysis, the database is configured primarily as an open research resource, and the abstract does not indicate an explicit commercialisation pathway.
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Abstract. The African continent is probably the one with the lowest density of hydrometric stations currently measuring river discharge despite the fact that the number of operating stations was quite important until the 1970s. This new African Database of Hydrometric Indices (ADHI) provides a wide range of hydrometric indices and hydrological signatures computed from different sources of data after a quality control. It includes 1466 stations with at least 10 years of daily discharge data over the period 1950–2018. The average record length is 33 years, and 131 stations have complete records over 50 years. With this new dataset spanning most climatic regions of the African continent, several hydrometric indices have been computed, representing mean flow characteristics and extremes (low flows and floods), and are accessible to the scientific community. The database will be updated on a regular basis to include more hydrometric stations and longer time series of river discharge. The ADHI is available for download at: https://doi.org/10.23708/LXGXQ9 (Tramblay and Rouché, 2020).
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DOI: 10.5194/essd-13-1547-2021
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