HR: 09:00h
AN: U41B-05    [Abstracts]
TI: Meteorological drought episodes over Mexico region
AU: * Méndez-Pérez, J
EM: matias.mendezp@gmail.com
AF: Centro de Ciencias de la Atmósfera - Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito Exterior s.n. Ciudad Universitaria, México, DF 04510, Mexico
AU: Magaña, V
EM: victormr@servidor.unam.mx
AF: Centro de Ciencias de la Atmósfera - Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito Exterior s.n. Ciudad Universitaria, México, DF 04510, Mexico
AB: The occurrence of drought in Mexico has brought to light the large vulnerability of the northern part of this country to water shortages. However, it is not clear what produces a meteorological drought spanning for more than one year. Based on gridded monthly precipitation data for the one hundred years, the spatial structure of significant deficit in precipitation is documented. Low frequency variations in precipitation are also examined to identify potential forcing mechanisms associated to circulation anomalies over North America region, such as the Hadley Cell. This hypothesis though, is not able to fully contrast the difference in precipitation between the 1950s and the 1930s drought episodes. Remote mechanisms related to transient activity such as easterly waves may be important to explain some of the regional aspects of drought over northern Mexico.
DE: 1655 Water cycles (1836)
DE: 1812 Drought
DE: 1854 Precipitation (3354)
DE: 3305 Climate change and variability (1616, 1635, 3309, 4215, 4513)
SC: Union [U]
MN: 2007 Joint Assembly