Time scales of variability associated with Nordeste precipitation

Conference · Sat Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1991

OSTI ID:5513869

Sperber, K R ^[1]; Hameed, S ^[2]

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1. Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (USA)
2. State Univ. of New York, Stony Brook, NY (USA). Inst. for Terrestrial and Planetary Atmospheres

The Northeast section of Brazil, called the Nordeste, experiences flood and drought regimes as the norm rather than the exception. This region receives its principal dose of precipitation during March--April, subsequent to regions to the west and north due to its proximity to the southern Atlantic subtropical high. A weakening of this anticyclone and strengthening of its counterpart in the northern Atlantic during this season results in the farthest southward penetration of the ITCZ and the Nordeste rainy season. Fluctuations in the large-scale circulation of the atmosphere, such as ENSO, modulate the track of the ITCZ causing the interannual drought or flood conditions that plague this region. Empirical studies have shown that Nordeste rainfall is related to the sea-surface temperature (SST) in the tropical Atlantic Ocean. 16 refs., 4 figs.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States); State Univ. of New York, Stony Brook, NY (United States). Inst. for Terrestrial and Planetary Atmospheres
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48; FG02-85ER60314
• OSTI ID: 5513869
• Report Number(s): UCRL-JC-106445; CONF-9110161--3; ON: DE91015696
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540110*
ATLANTIC OCEAN
ATMOSPHERIC PRECIPITATIONS
BRAZIL
CLIMATE MODELS
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
DISASTERS
DROUGHTS
FLOODS
GENERAL CIRCULATION MODELS
LATIN AMERICA
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
METEOROLOGY
PACIFIC OCEAN
SEAS
SOUTH AMERICA
SURFACE WATERS
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
TIME DEPENDENCE