Journal of Climate · 2003 · 290 citations · 42 references
Natural SciencesEarth SciencesMeteorologyAtmospheric ScienceClimate ScienceClimatologyMonsoon ClimatologyMonsoon DynamicsMonsoon SystemsPhysical ClimatologyPrecipitationRegional ClimatologyAtmospheric Circulation PatternsMonsoon CirculationMonsoon-driven CirculationOutgoing Longwave RadiationRegional Atmospheric CirculationSeasonal Atmospheric CirculationSeasonal Cycle Of Monsoon RainfallSouth American Monsoon
The mean atmospheric circulation for the rainy season over west-central Brazil (20-10S, 60-50W) is investigated for a 21-yr period (July 1979-June 2000). The NCEP-NCAR reanalysis, pentad outgoing longwave radiation (OLR), and daily gridded precipitation analyses from NCEP are used in this study. The analysis presented here provides an improved description of the mean annual cycle based on daily and pentad (5-day) rainfall and atmospheric circulation data. The pentad precipitation averaged for the study region shows a rapid increase during the spring months (September-November) and a rapid decrease in April. The rainiest period (more than 8 mm day 1 ) is from December to February. There are distinct wet (7 months) and dry (5 months) seasons, with approximately 90% of the total annual rainfall occurring during October-April.
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The NCEP/NCAR 40-Year Reanalysis Project
Eugenia Kalnay, Masao Kanamitsu, Robert Kistler et al. · Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society · 1996 · 29.1K citations