On 2/20-23/23, SERVIR Applied Sciences Team members Norm Jones and Gus Williams from Brigham Young University and Sarva Pulla from ArchGEO, LLC conducted a four-day workshop at the Agrometeorology, Hydrology and Meteorology (AGRHYMET) Regional Center headquarters in Niamey, Niger. The objective of the workshop was to train local groundwater experts and water managers on how to use the tools developed over the course of the three-year SERVIR AST project. Participants were trained in how to use the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) Groundwater Subsetting Tool. Jones and his team also reviewed the computations that are used to calculate the groundwater storage estimate and how to apply them to aquifers and basins in West Africa. In addition, they showed participants how to calculate recharge from the seasonal variations in the GRACE-derived groundwater signal. The workshop also included training on how to use the Groundwater Data Mapper Tethys app and associated Python Scripts developed as part of the project, and a presentation on the groundwater model developed for the Goulbi Maradi region. There were approximately 20 people in attendance, including AGRHYMET employees, representatives from the Niger government and water managers, and experts from local universities. The team conducted a similar workshop 2/24-25/23 on the campus of the University of Ghana, with approximately 30 people in attendance from all over Ghana.
