Meteorological Teleconnections between the Sahel and the Eastern United States.
Abstract
The existence of atmospheric tleconnections between the Sahel and the eastern United States is investigated on a seasonal time scale. Precipitation data for the Sahel and surface temperature data for the eastern United States from the years 1951 through 1977 in the months June through October are used. The statistical procedures applied are principal component analysis; Pearson's product-moment and Spearman's rank correlation, simple linear regression. Data of the 700 mb height data are used to produce composite charts of seasonal circulation and for conducting circulation analysis in an effort to associate climate signals with anomalous conditions of the general circulation. Two readily identifiable modes of large-scale spatial variability are found in the first and second principal components. The first indicates the existence of an inverse relationship between precipitation in the Sahel and surface temperature in the eastern United States. The second principal component indicates a direct relationship between these two regimes. Circulation analyses reveal patterns in the 700 mb height anomaly field which may be connected with the postulated inverse relationship. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1985
- Accession Number
- ADA166632
Entities
People
- Jeffrey Earl Malan
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology