The Intertropical Convergence Zone in the South Atlantic and the Equatorial Cold Tongue

2003 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 723-733 ◽  
Author(s):  
Semyon A. Grodsky ◽  
James A. Carton
Keyword(s):  
South Atlantic ◽  
Intertropical Convergence Zone ◽  
Convergence Zone ◽  
Cold Tongue ◽  
The South

scholarly journals Isotopic Composition of Precipitation in a Southeastern Region of Brazil during the Action of the South Atlantic Convergence Zone

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 418
Author(s):  
Cleber Santos ◽  
Rayonil Carneiro ◽  
Camilla Borges ◽  
Didier Gastmans ◽  
Laura Borma
Keyword(s):  
Isotopic Composition ◽  
Hydrological Cycle ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
South Atlantic Convergence Zone ◽  
South Atlantic ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Convergence Zone ◽  
The South ◽  
Hysplit Model

The use of stable isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen is a tool widely used to trace water paths along the hydrological cycle, providing support for understanding climatic conditions in different spatial scales. One of the main synoptic scale events acting in southeastern Brazil is the South Atlantic Convergence Zone (SACZ), which causes a large amount of precipitation from southern Amazonia to southeastern Brazil during the southern summer. In order to determine the isotopic composition of precipitation during the action of SACZ in São Francisco Xavier in southeastern Brazil, information from the Weather Forecasting and Climate Studies Center of the National Institute for Space Research (CPTEC) was used regarding SACZ performance days, the retrograde trajectories of the HYSPLIT model, and images from the GOES-16 satellite, in addition to the non-parametric statistical tests by Spearman and Kruskal–Wallis. A high frequency of air mass trajectories from the Amazon to southeastern Brazil was observed when the SACZ was operating. During the SACZ events, the average isotopic composition of precipitation was more depleted, with a δ18O of −9.9‰ (±2.1‰), a δ2H of −69.3‰ (±17.9‰), and d-excess of 10.1‰ (±4.0‰). When disregarding the SACZ performance, the annual isotopic composition can present an enrichment of 1.0‰ for δ18O and 8.8‰ for the δ2H. The long-term monitoring of trends in the isotopic composition of precipitation during the SACZ events can assist in indicating the evapotranspiration contribution of the Amazon rainforest to the water supply of southeastern Brazil.

scholarly journals Dynamics-based regression models for the South Atlantic Convergence Zone

2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (9-10) ◽  
pp. 5527-5553
Author(s):  
David Marcolino Nielsen ◽  
André Luiz Belém ◽  
Edilson Marton ◽  
Marcio Cataldi
Keyword(s):  
Regression Models ◽  
South Atlantic Convergence Zone ◽  
South Atlantic ◽  
Convergence Zone ◽  
The South

Control of the South Atlantic Convergence Zone by extratropical thermal forcing

2017 ◽  
Vol 50 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 885-900 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefanie Talento ◽  
Marcelo Barreiro
Keyword(s):  
South Atlantic Convergence Zone ◽  
South Atlantic ◽  
Convergence Zone ◽  
The South ◽  
Thermal Forcing

scholarly journals The impact of the subtropical South Atlantic SST on South American precipitation

2008 ◽  
Vol 26 (11) ◽  
pp. 3457-3476 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. S. Taschetto ◽  
I. Wainer
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
South Atlantic ◽  
Empirical Orthogonal Functions ◽  
Convergence Zone ◽  
South American ◽  
The South ◽  
Inter Tropical Convergence Zone ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Sst Anomalies

Abstract. The Community Climate Model (CCM3) from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) is used to investigate the effect of the South Atlantic sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies on interannual to decadal variability of South American precipitation. Two ensembles composed of multidecadal simulations forced with monthly SST data from the Hadley Centre for the period 1949 to 2001 are analysed. A statistical treatment based on signal-to-noise ratio and Empirical Orthogonal Functions (EOF) is applied to the ensembles in order to reduce the internal variability among the integrations. The ensemble treatment shows a spatial and temporal dependence of reproducibility. High degree of reproducibility is found in the tropics while the extratropics is apparently less reproducible. Austral autumn (MAM) and spring (SON) precipitation appears to be more reproducible over the South America-South Atlantic region than the summer (DJF) and winter (JJA) rainfall. While the Inter-tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) region is dominated by external variance, the South Atlantic Convergence Zone (SACZ) over South America is predominantly determined by internal variance, which makes it a difficult phenomenon to predict. Alternatively, the SACZ over western South Atlantic appears to be more sensitive to the subtropical SST anomalies than over the continent. An attempt is made to separate the atmospheric response forced by the South Atlantic SST anomalies from that associated with the El Niño – Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Results show that both the South Atlantic and Pacific SSTs modulate the intensity and position of the SACZ during DJF. Particularly, the subtropical South Atlantic SSTs are more important than ENSO in determining the position of the SACZ over the southeast Brazilian coast during DJF. On the other hand, the ENSO signal seems to influence the intensity of the SACZ not only in DJF but especially its oceanic branch during MAM. Both local and remote influences, however, are confounded by the large internal variance in the region. During MAM and JJA, the South Atlantic SST anomalies affect the magnitude and the meridional displacement of the ITCZ. In JJA, the ENSO has relatively little influence on the interannual variability of the simulated rainfall. During SON, however, the ENSO seems to counteract the effect of the subtropical South Atlantic SST variations on convection over South America.

scholarly journals Variability in the South Atlantic Anticyclone and the Atlantic Niño Mode*

2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (21) ◽  
pp. 8135-8150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joke F. Lübbecke ◽  
Natalie J. Burls ◽  
Chris J. C. Reason ◽  
Michael J. McPhaden
Keyword(s):  
Wind Power ◽  
South Atlantic ◽  
Cold Tongue ◽  
Kelvin Wave ◽  
Equatorial Atlantic ◽  
The South ◽  
Pressure System ◽  
Cold Events ◽  
Meridional Advection ◽  
Sst Anomalies

Abstract Previous studies have argued that the strength of the South Atlantic subtropical high pressure system, referred to as the South Atlantic anticyclone (SAA), modulates sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies in the eastern equatorial Atlantic. Using ocean and atmosphere reanalysis products, it is shown here that the strength of the SAA from February to May impacts the timing of the cold tongue onset and the intensity of its development in the eastern equatorial Atlantic via anomalous tropical wind power. This modulation in the timing and amplitude of seasonal cold tongue development manifests itself via SST anomalies peaking between June and August. The timing and impact of this connection is not completely symmetric for warm and cold events. For cold events, an anomalously strong SAA in February and March leads to positive wind power anomalies from February to June resulting in an early cold tongue onset and subsequent cold SST anomalies in June and July. For warm events, the anomalously weak SAA persists until May, generating negative wind power anomalies that lead to a late cold tongue onset as well as a suppression of the cold tongue development and associated warm SST anomalies. Mechanisms by which SAA-induced wind power variations south of the equator influence eastern equatorial Atlantic SST are discussed, including ocean adjustment via Rossby and Kelvin wave propagation, meridional advection, and local intraseasonal wind variations.

scholarly journals Atmospheric convergence zones stemming from large-scale mixing

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 475-488
Author(s):  
Gabriel M. P. Perez ◽  
Pier Luigi Vidale ◽  
Nicholas P. Klingaman ◽  
Thomas C. M. Martin
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Hydrological Cycle ◽  
Moisture Flux ◽  
South Atlantic Convergence Zone ◽  
South Atlantic ◽  
Convergence Zone ◽  
The South ◽  
Atmospheric Flow ◽  
Convergence Zones

Abstract. Organised cloud bands are important features of tropical and subtropical rainfall. These structures are often regarded as convergence zones, alluding to an association with coherent atmospheric flow. However, the flow kinematics is not usually taken into account in classification methods for this type of event, as large-scale lines are rarely evident in instantaneous diagnostics such as Eulerian convergence. Instead, existing convergence zone definitions rely on heuristic rules of shape, duration and size of cloudiness fields. Here we investigate the role of large-scale turbulence in shaping atmospheric moisture in South America. We employ the finite-time Lyapunov exponent (FTLE), a metric of deformation among neighbouring trajectories, to define convergence zones as attracting Lagrangian coherent structures (LCSs). Attracting LCSs frequent tropical and subtropical South America, with climatologies consistent with the South Atlantic Convergence Zone (SACZ), the South American Low-Level Jet (SALLJ) and the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). In regions under the direct influence of the ITCZ and the SACZ, rainfall is significantly positively correlated with large-scale mixing measured by the FTLE. Attracting LCSs in south and southeast Brazil are associated with significant positive rainfall and moisture flux anomalies. Geopotential height composites suggest that the occurrence of attracting LCSs in these regions is related with teleconnection mechanisms such as the Pacific–South Atlantic. We believe that this kinematical approach can be used as an alternative to region-specific convergence zone classification algorithms; it may help advance the understanding of underlying mechanisms of tropical and subtropical rain bands and their role in the hydrological cycle.

scholarly journals Atmospheric convergence zones stemming from large-scale mixing

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel M. P. Perez ◽  
Pier Luigi Vidale ◽  
Nicholas P. Klingaman ◽  
Thomas C. M. Martin
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Hydrological Cycle ◽  
Moisture Flux ◽  
South Atlantic Convergence Zone ◽  
South Atlantic ◽  
Convergence Zone ◽  
The South ◽  
Atmospheric Flow ◽  
Convergence Zones

Abstract. Organised cloud bands are important features of tropical and subtropical rainfall. These structures are often regarded as convergence zones, alluding to an association with coherent atmospheric flow. However, the flow kinematics is not usually taken into account in classification methods for this type of event, as large-scale lines are rarely evident in instantaneous diagnostics such as Eulerian convergence. Instead, existing convergence zone definitions rely on heuristic rules of shape, duration and size of cloudiness fields. Here we investigate the role of large-scale turbulence in shaping atmospheric moisture in South America. We employ the Finite-Time Lyapunov Exponent (FTLE), a metric of deformation among neighboring trajectories, to define convergence zones as attracting Lagrangian Coherent Structures (LCSs). Attracting LCSs frequent tropical and subtropical South America, with climatologies consistent with the South Atlantic Convergence Zone (SACZ), the South American Low-level Jet (SALLJ) and the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). In regions under the direct influence of the ITCZ and the SACZ, rainfall is significantly positively correlated with large-scale mixing measured by the FTLE. Attracting LCSs in South and Southeast Brazil are associated with significant positive rainfall and moisture flux anomalies. Geopotential height composites suggest that the occurrence of attracting LCSs in these regions is related with teleconnection mechanisms such as the Pacific-South Atlantic. We believe that this kinematical approach can be used as an alternative to region-specific convergence zone classification algorithms; it may help advance the understanding of underlying mechanisms of tropical and subtropical rain bands and their role in the hydrological cycle.

scholarly journals Submonthly Convective Variability over South America and the South Atlantic Convergence Zone

1999 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 1877-1891 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brant Liebmann ◽  
George N. Kiladis ◽  
JoséA. Marengo ◽  
Tércio Ambrizzi ◽  
John D. Glick
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
South Atlantic Convergence Zone ◽  
South Atlantic ◽  
Convergence Zone ◽  
The South
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