Oscillation modes of humidity over the Amazon basin derived from GPS RO profiles

The Global Positioning System radio occultation (GPS RO) technique provides vertical profiles of refractivity from which water vapor can be derived. It is possible to reproduce global, synoptic, and regional climatological patterns. From Formosa Satellite 3/Constellation Observing System for Meteoro...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Hierro, Rodrigo Federico; Llamedo Soria, Pablo Martin; de la Torre, Alejandro; Alexander, Pedro Manfredo
Format: Article
Status:Published version
Publication date:2013
Country:Argentina
Institution:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Repository:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/767
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/11336/767
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:RADIO OCCULTATION
HUMIDITY
AMAZONAS
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.5
Description
Summary:The Global Positioning System radio occultation (GPS RO) technique provides vertical profiles of refractivity from which water vapor can be derived. It is possible to reproduce global, synoptic, and regional climatological patterns. From Formosa Satellite 3/Constellation Observing System for Meteorology Ionosphere and Climate mission data (2006?2013), the variability of the moistest region of Southern Hemisphere as the Amazon basin is analyzed. Applying different spatial and temporal filters, oscillation modes of the integrated specific humidity (Q) are found. A slight decreasing trend in Q is found during the studied period. Zonal variability of this variable averaged<br />in time between Amazon basin latitudes presents a main mode of oscillation of a wavelength of one quarter of the Earth (T4). A secondary mode of wavelength at around T6 wavelength is also found after high-pass filtering the original signal. In turn, temporal variability averaged over Amazon basin latitudes shows a wavelength at around 12 months, while secondary modes of 6 months are found.