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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

The role of the Amazon Basin moisture in the atmospheric branch of the hydrological cycle: a Lagrangian analysis

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Author(s):
Drumond, A. [1] ; Marengo, J. [2] ; Ambrizzi, T. [3] ; Nieto, R. [1] ; Moreira, L. [4] ; Gimeno, L. [1]
Total Authors: 6
Affiliation:
[1] UVIGO, Fac Ciencias, Ephyslab, Orense - Spain
[2] CCST INPE, Sao Paulo - Brazil
[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Astron Geofis & Ciencias Atmosfer, BR-09500900 Sao Paulo - Brazil
[4] Univ Bern, Inst Appl Phys, CH-3012 Bern - Switzerland
Total Affiliations: 4
Document type: Journal article
Source: HYDROLOGY AND EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCES; v. 18, n. 7, p. 2577-2598, 2014.
Web of Science Citations: 39
Abstract

We used a Lagrangian model (FLEXPART) together with the 1979-2012 ERA-Interim reanalysis data to investigate the role of the moisture in the Amazon Basin in the regional hydrological budget over the course of the year. FLEXPART computes budgets of evaporation minus precipitation by calculating changes in the specific humidity along forward and backward trajectories. The tropical Atlantic is the most important remote moisture source for the Amazon Basin. The tropical North Atlantic (NA) mainly contributed during the austral summer, while the contribution of the tropical South Atlantic (SA) prevailed for the remainder of the year. At the same time, the moisture contribution from the Amazon Basin itself is mainly for moisture supplying the southeastern South America. The 33-year temporal domain allowed the investigation of some aspects of the interannual variability of the moisture transport over the basin, such as the role of the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Atlantic Meridional Mode (AMM) on the hydrological budget. During the peak of the Amazonian rainy season (from February to May, FMAM) the AMM is associated more with the interannual variations in the contribution from the tropical Atlantic sources, while the transport from the basin towards the subtropics responds more to the ENSO variability. The moisture contribution prevailed from the SA (NA) region in the years dominated by El Nino/positive AMM (La Nina/negative AMM) conditions. The transport from the Amazon towards the subtropics increased (reduced) during El Nino (La Nina) years. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 08/57719-9 - Program on Climate Change - INCT CLIMA
Grantee:Carlos Afonso Nobre
Support type: Research Program on Global Climate Change - Thematic Grants
FAPESP's process: 13/50538-7 - Understanding the causes of the biases that determine the onset of the rainy season in Amazonia in climate models using GoAmazon-CHUVA measurements
Grantee:Jose Antonio Marengo Orsini
Support type: Regular Research Grants
FAPESP's process: 08/58161-1 - Assessment of impacts and vulnerability to climate change in Brazil and strategies for adaptation option
Grantee:Jose Antonio Marengo Orsini
Support type: Research Program on Global Climate Change - Thematic Grants
FAPESP's process: 08/58101-9 - Impact of the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean on South American climate for the 20th and 21st centuries
Grantee:Tercio Ambrizzi
Support type: Research Program on Global Climate Change - Thematic Grants