Influence of Sea Level Pressure on inter-annual rainfall variability in northern Senegal in the context of climate change

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aichetou Dia Diop ◽  
Malick Wade ◽  
Sinclaire Zebaze ◽  
Abdoulaye Bouya DIOP ◽  
Eric Efon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Rainfall Variability ◽  
Empirical Orthogonal Functions ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Sea Level Pressure ◽  
Level Pressure ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Pressure Area

Abstract This study examines the inter-annual variability of rainfall and mean Sea Level Pressure (SLP) over west Africa based on analysis of the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) and National Center for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR) Reanalysis respectively. An interconnection is found in this region, between MSLP anomaly (over Azores and St. Helena High) and monthly mean precipitation during summer (June to September: JJAS). We also found that over northern Senegal (15°N-17°N; 17°W-13°W) the SLP to the north is strong; the wind converges at 200hPa corresponding to the position of the tropical Easterly jet (TEJ); the rotational wind 700hPa (corresponding to the position of the AEJ) coming from the north-east is negative. In this region, the precipitation is related to the SLP to the north with the opposite sign. The empirical orthogonal functions (EOF) of SLP are also presented, including the mean spectrum of precipitation and pressures to the north (15°N-40°N and 50°W-25°W) and south (40°S-10°S and 40°W-0°E). The dominant EOF of Sea Level Pressures north and south of the Atlantic Ocean for GPCP represents about 62.2% and 69.4% of the variance, respectively. The second and third EOFs of the pressure to the north account for 24.0% and 6.5% respectively. The second and third EOFs of the pressure to the south represent 12.5% and 8.9% respectively. Wet years in the northern of Senegal were associated with anomalous low-pressure area over north Atlantic Ocean as opposed to the dry years which exhibited an anomalous high-pressure area in the same region. On the other hand, over south Atlantic, an opposition is noted. The wavelet analysis method is applied to the SLP showings to the north, south and precipitation in our study area. The indices prove to be very consistent, especially during intervals of high variance.

scholarly journals Influence of Sea Level Pressure on Inter-Annual Rainfall Variability in Northern Senegal in the Context of Climate Change

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (01) ◽  
pp. 113-131
Author(s):  
Aichetou Dia-Diop ◽  
Malick Wade ◽  
Sinclaire Zebaze ◽  
Abdoulaye Bouya Diop ◽  
Eric Efon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Rainfall Variability ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Sea Level Pressure ◽  
Level Pressure

scholarly journals New Insights into Annual and Semiannual Cycles of Sea Level Pressure

2012 ◽  
Vol 140 (4) ◽  
pp. 1347-1355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ge Chen ◽  
Chengcheng Qian ◽  
Caiyun Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Global Ocean ◽  
Boreal Winter ◽  
Sea Level Pressure ◽  
Level Pressure ◽  
The North ◽  
Dominant Feature ◽  
The One ◽  
The North Pacific

Sea level pressure (SLP) acts, on the one hand, as a “bridge parameter” to which geophysical properties at the air–sea interface (e.g., wind stress and sea surface height) are linked, and on the other hand, as an “index parameter” by which major atmospheric oscillations, including the well-known Southern Oscillation, are defined. Using 144 yr (1854–1997) of extended reconstructed SLP data, seasonal patterns of its variability are reinvestigated in detail. New features on fundamental structure of its annual and semiannual cycles are revealed in two aspects. First, the spatiotemporal patterns of yearly and half-yearly SLPs are basically determined by a network of “amphidromes,” which are surrounded by rotational variations. Fourteen cyclonic and anticyclonic annual SLP amphidromes (half each and often in pair) are found in the global ocean, while the numbers of the two types of semiannual amphidrome are 11 and 9, respectively. The second dominant feature in SLP variability is the pattern of oscillation or seesaw for both annual and semiannual components. At least eight oscillation zones are identified for the annual cycle, which can be categorized into a boreal winter mode and an austral winter mode. As for the semiannual cycle, the seesaw pattern is geographically divided into three regimes: the North Pacific regime, the North Atlantic regime, and the Southern Ocean regime. These findings serve as a new contribution to characterizing and understanding the seasonality of the global ocean–atmosphere system.

scholarly journals Decadal Shift of NAO-Linked Interannual Sea Level Variability along the U.S. Northeast Coast

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (13) ◽  
pp. 4981-4989 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica S. Kenigson ◽  
Weiqing Han ◽  
Balaji Rajagopalan ◽  
Yanto ◽  
Mike Jasinski
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Sea Level Pressure ◽  
Level Pressure ◽  
The North ◽  
Decadal Shift ◽  
Nao Index ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
The U.S ◽  
Northeast Coast

Recent studies have linked interannual sea level variability and extreme events along the U.S. northeast coast (NEC) to the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), a natural internal climate mode that prevails in the North Atlantic Ocean. The correlation between the NAO index and coastal sea level north of Cape Hatteras was weak from the 1960s to the mid-1980s, but it has markedly increased since around 1987. The causes for the decadal shift remain unknown. Yet understanding the abrupt change is vital for decadal sea level prediction and is essential for risk management. Here we use a robust method, the Bayesian dynamic linear model (DLM), to explore the nonstationary NAO impact on NEC sea level. The results show that a spatial pattern change of NAO-related winds near the NEC is a major cause of the NAO–sea level relationship shift. A new index using regional sea level pressure is developed that is a significantly better predictor of NEC sea level than is the NAO and is strongly linked to the intensity of westerly winds near the NEC. These results point to the vital importance of monitoring regional changes of wind and sea level pressure patterns, rather than the NAO index alone, to achieve more accurate predictions of sea level change along the NEC.

Tropospheric Precursors and Stratospheric Warmings

2011 ◽  
Vol 24 (24) ◽  
pp. 6562-6572 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judah Cohen ◽  
Justin Jones
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Energy Flux ◽  
Polar Vortex ◽  
Stratospheric Warming ◽  
Sea Level Pressure ◽  
Winter Climate ◽  
Level Pressure ◽  
The North ◽  
Tropospheric Circulation ◽  
The North Pacific

Abstract Many tropospheric Arctic Oscillation (AO) events are preceded by stratospheric AO events and even earlier in time by anomalous upward energy flux associated with Rossby waves in the troposphere. This study identifies lower-tropospheric circulation anomalies that precede large AO events in both the troposphere and stratosphere and the anomalous upward energy flux. Compositing analysis of stratospheric warming events identifies regional tropospheric precursors, which precede stratospheric warmings. The tropospheric precursor is found to vary when compositing over polar vortex displacements and splits separately. Prior to vortex displacements the main anomaly sea level pressure center of the tropospheric precursor is located across northwest Eurasia and is associated with the Siberian high. Prior to vortex splits a similar anomaly center is identified in the tropospheric precursor but is weaker and appears to be more strongly related to a shift in the storm tracks. Differences in the sea level pressure anomalies in the North Atlantic and the North Pacific are also observed when comparing the precursors prior to vortex displacements and splits. Identification of a unique tropospheric precursor to stratospheric warming and subsequent tropospheric AO events can help to improve understanding troposphere–stratosphere coupling. Furthermore, the observational evidence presented here can be compared with model simulations of winter climate variability and lead to potential model improvements.

The North Pacific Oscillation–West Pacific Teleconnection Pattern: Mature-Phase Structure and Winter Impacts

2008 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. 1979-1997 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan E. Linkin ◽  
Sumant Nigam
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Geopotential Height ◽  
Storm Track ◽  
Teleconnection Pattern ◽  
Sea Level Pressure ◽  
Level Pressure ◽  
The North ◽  
Mature Phase ◽  
The Pacific

Abstract The North Pacific Oscillation (NPO) in sea level pressure and its upper-air geopotential height signature, the west Pacific (WP) teleconnection pattern, constitute a prominent mode of winter midlatitude variability, the NPO/WP. Its mature-phase expression is identified from principal component analysis of monthly sea level pressure variability as the second leading mode just behind the Pacific–North American variability pattern. NPO/WP variability, primarily on subseasonal time scales, is characterized by a large-scale meridional dipole in SLP and geopotential height over the Pacific and is linked to meridional movements of the Asian–Pacific jet and Pacific storm track modulation. The hemispheric height anomalies at upper levels resemble the climatological stationary wave pattern attributed to transient eddy forcing. The NPO/WP divergent circulation is thermal wind restoring, pointing to independent forcing of jet fluctuations. Intercomparison of sea level pressure, geopotential height, and zonal wind anomaly structure reveals that NPO/WP is a basin analog of the NAO, which is not surprising given strong links to storm track variability in both cases. The NPO/WP variability is influential: its impact on Alaskan, Pacific Northwest, Canadian, and U.S. winter surface air temperatures is substantial—more than that of PNA or ENSO. It is likewise more influential on the Pacific Northwest, western Mexico, and south-central Great Plains winter precipitation. Finally, and perhaps, most importantly, NPO/WP is strongly linked to marginal ice zone variability of the Arctic seas with an influence that surpasses that of other Pacific modes. Although NPO/WP variability and impacts have not been as extensively analyzed as its Pacific cousins (PNA, ENSO), it is shown to be more consequential for Arctic sea ice and North American winter hydroclimate.

scholarly journals The Victoria mode in the North Pacific linking extratropical sea level pressure variations to ENSO

2015 ◽  
Vol 120 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruiqiang Ding ◽  
Jianping Li ◽  
Yu-heng Tseng ◽  
Cheng Sun ◽  
Yipeng Guo
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
North Pacific ◽  
Sea Level Pressure ◽  
Level Pressure ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Pacific
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