HR: 1340h
AN: A43B-0047    [Abstracts]
TI: Near surface atmospheric and oceanic fields associated with the West Sahel Rainfall anomalies.
AU: * Grodsky, S A
EM: senya@atmos.umd.edu
AF: University of Maryland, Department of Meteorology, College Park, MD 20742
AU: Carton, J A
EM: carton@atmos.umd.edu
AF: University of Maryland, Department of Meteorology, College Park, MD 20742
AB: We exploit the availability of recent satellite products to investigate statistical links between year-to-year variability of rainfall in the West African Sahel (expressed in terms of the P. Lamb index), SST, mean sea level pressure, and wind velocity in the Atlantic sector. Wet years in the Sahel are associated with strengthening of the meridional SST gradient (e.g. warmer north Atlantic), strengthening of both trade wind systems in the subtropics, and strengthening westerly winds in the ITCZ. These changes in winds are accompanied by the development of a pressure low off the West African coast. Year-to-year changes of mean sea level pressure in this low pressure region display a tremendous correlation to the variability of West Sahel rainfall.
DE: 3374 Tropical meteorology
DE: 4231 Equatorial oceanography
DE: 4572 Upper ocean processes
SC: Atmospheric Sciences [A]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting