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Precipitation Climatology of Costa Rica and its Variability. Atmospheric, Oceanic and Topographic Interactions. Characters in The Play. Topography Oceans Northeast Trade Winds ( aka Los Alisios ) Caribbean Low Level Jet ( aka Veranillos de San Juan) Inter-tropical Convergence Zone
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Precipitation Climatology of Costa Rica and its Variability Atmospheric, Oceanic and Topographic Interactions
Characters in The Play • Topography • Oceans • Northeast Trade Winds (aka Los Alisios) • Caribbean Low Level Jet (aka Veranillos de San Juan) • Inter-tropical Convergence Zone • Cold Fronts (aka Los Nortes) • ENSO (El Niño y La Niña)
Act 1: November - April “Los Alisios”
~90°N HIGH LOW LOW ~45-60°N ~30°N HIGH HIGH HIGH Hadley Cell Northeast Trades LOW LOW LOW ~0° HIGH HIGH HIGH ~30°S ~45-60°S LOW Costa Rica ~ 8-11.5°N LOW HIGH ~90°S
STANDARD CLIMATOLOGICAL PICTURE Northeast Trades Andes
Source: Instituto Merteorologico Nacional and Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad
Act 2: May - October “ITCZ”
STANDARD CLIMATOLOGICAL PICTURE Northeast Trades 3°N Andes ITCZ Feb Peru- Humboldt Current
STANDARD CLIMATOLOGICAL PICTURE Northeast Trades ITCZ Feb 3°N Andes Cross- Equatorial Westerlies
STANDARD CLIMATOLOGICAL PICTURE Northeast Trades ITCZ Sep 10°N Andes Cross-equatorial Westerlies
Act 3: July - August “Veranillo de San Juan”
VERANILLOS DE SAN JUAN OR CANICULA Mid-Summer Drought Average Latitude (°N) of ITCZ in Eastern Equatorial Pacific Month Hastenrath, 1991
GAP IN CENTRAL AMERICAN CORDILLERA San Andrés or Caribbean Low Level Jet Cool Upwelling
80°W Caribbean Low Level Jet (CLLJ) DJF 1000hPa NCEP-NCAR RE-ANALYSIS Source: Kalnay et al., 1996 m/s
SEASONAL STRENGTHS OF CLLJ Westerly Component of Wind Velocity at 80°W JJA MAM CLLJ Pressure (mm) ~Altitude SON Latitude Latitude DJF Source: NCEP-NCAR Reanalysis, Kalnay et al., 1996
EVIDENCE OF VERANILLOS ? JUNE JULY Meso-Scale Convective Systems 1998 as detected by TRMM AUGUST SEPTEMBER Source: Mejia and Poveda 2003
Act 4: November - April “Los Nortes”
North America as Funnel of Cold Air in Boreal Winter Rockies etc. H H Appalachians Surges of Cold Air over Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean
STANDARD CLIMATOLOGICAL PICTURE Cold Fronts Northeast Trades 3°N Andes ITCZ Feb
Act 4: ENSO “El Niño y La Niña”
STANDARD CLIMATOLOGICAL PICTURE EL NIŇO Northeast Trades 3°N Andes ITCZ Feb Peru- Humboldt Current 1. Warmer surface waters appear in Eastern Equatorial Pacific November onwards
STANDARD CLIMATOLOGICAL PICTURE EL NIŇO Northeast Trades 2. ITCZ shifts south and west of normal position 3°N Andes ITCZ Feb Peru- Humboldt Current 1. Warmer surface waters appear in Eastern Equatorial Pacific November onwards
STANDARD CLIMATOLOGICAL PICTURE EL NIŇO Northeast Trades 3 Northeast Trades intensify 2. ITCZ shifts south and west of normal position 3°N Andes ITCZ Feb Peru- Humboldt Current 1. Warmer surface waters appear in Eastern Equatorial Pacific November onwards
Difference in Velocities (Warm – Cold Phase of ENSO) Positive = More Westerly (Less Easterly) Negative = More Easterly (Less Westerly) MAM Poveda et al., 2001 Spring: “In El Niño, trades weaker (less easterly) than in La Niña.”
Difference in Velocities (Warm – Cold Phase of ENSO) Positive = More Westerly (Less Easterly) Negative = More Easterly (Less Westerly) JJA Poveda et al., 2001 Summer: “In El Niño, trades stronger (less westerly) than in La Niña.”
Difference in Velocities (Warm – Cold Phase of ENSO) Positive = More Westerly (Less Easterly) Negative = More Easterly (Less Westerly) SON Poveda et al., 2001 Fall: “In El Niño, trades stronger (less westerly) than in La Niña, but not as marked as in summer.”
Difference in Velocities (Warm – Cold Phase of ENSO) Positive = More Westerly (Less Easterly) Negative = More Easterly (Less Westerly) DJF Poveda et al., 2001 Winter: “In El Niño, trades much weaker (less easterly) than in La Niña.”
La Niña El Niño Seasonal Precipitation as a Normalized deviate Standard Deviations above/below mean
La Niña El Niño Seasonal Precipitation as a Normalized deviate Standard Deviations above/below mean
La Niña El Niño Seasonal Precipitation as a Normalized deviate Standard Deviations above/below mean
La Niña El Niño Seasonal Precipitation as a Normalized deviate ? Standard Deviations above/below mean
La Niña El Niño Seasonal Precipitation as a Normalized deviate ? Standard Deviations above/below mean
Act 5: Epilogue “The Atlantic”
La Niña El Niño Seasonal Precipitation as a Normalized deviate Standard Deviations above/below mean
La Niña El Niño Seasonal Precipitation as a Normalized deviate Standard Deviations above/below mean
La Niña El Niño Seasonal Precipitation as a Normalized deviate Standard Deviations above/below mean
La Niña El Niño Seasonal Precipitation as a Normalized deviate Standard Deviations above/below mean
La Niña El Niño Seasonal Precipitation as a Normalized deviate Standard Deviations above/below mean