Dynamics of precipitation anomalies in tropical South America

Abstract

In this study, precipitation in Tropical South America in the 1931–2016 period is investigated by means of Principal Component Analysis and composite analysis of circulation fields. The associated dynamics are analyzed using the 20th century ERA-20C reanalysis. It is found that the main climatic processes related to precipitation anomalies in Tropical South America are: (1) the intensity and position of the South Atlantic Convergence Zone (SACZ); (2) El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO); (3) the meridional position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), which is found to be related to Atlantic Sea Surface Temperature (SST) anomalies; and (4) anomalies in the strength of the South American Monsoon System, especially the South American Low-Level Jet (SALLJ). Interestingly, all of the analyzed anomalies are related to processes that operate from the Atlantic Ocean, except for ENSO. Results from the present study are in agreement with the state of the art literature about precipitation anomalies in the region. However, the added strength of the longer dataset and the larger study area improves the knowledge and gives new insights into how climate variability and the resulting dynamics are related to precipitation in Tropical South America.