Climatology of easterly wave disturbances over the tropical South Atlantic

A 21-yr climatology of Easterly Waves Disturbances (EWDs) over the Tropical South Atlantic (TSA) has been examined using data from the European Centers for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF) interim reanalysis (ERAI) and satellite data. This includes the frequency distribution of EWDs and their interannual variability. The large-scale environment associated with EWDs has been investigated for the coastal region of Northeast Brazil (NEB) for the rainy (April-August) season using a composite analysis. To better understand the life cycle of EWDs, an automated tracking scheme has been used to track vorticity centers associated with the EWDs in the ERAI data. EWDs were first identified in ERAI, resulting in 518 observed cases. These were found to show notable interannual variability with around 16-40 episodes by year and with average lifetime of 4-6 days. Of the identified EWDs, 97% reached the coast of NEB, of which 64% were convective in nature and 14% moved across the NEB region and reached the Amazon. The annual occurrence of EWDs seems to be lower (higher) during El Niño (La Niña). The monthly occurrence of EWDs shows higher activity in the rainy season. EWDs originate in association with five types of system: cold fronts, convective clusters from the west coast of Africa, Intertropical Convergence Zone and Tropical Upper Tropospheric Cyclonic Vortices. The composite analysis presents strong relative vorticity (RV) and divergence anomalies at low levels, as well as in the vertical profiles of relative humidity and vertical velocity (omega). The precipitation composites show that the EWDs propagate between the TSA and NEB and contribute at least 60% of the total rainfall over the east coast of NEB throughout the rainy season

The fallow period plays an important role in annual CH4 emission in a rice paddy in southern Brazil.

Paddy fields are significant anthropogenic sources of methane (CH4) emissions. In southern Brazil, rice is grown in lowland flooded areas once a year, followed by a long fallow period. This study aimed to measure CH4 fluxes in a rice paddy field in southern Brazil during the rice-growing season of 2015/2016 and the following fallow period. The fluxes were estimated using the eddy covariance (EC) technique and soil chamber (SC). Diurnal and seasonal variations of CH4 fluxes and potential meteorological drivers were analyzed. The CH4 fluxes showed distinct diurnal variations in each analyzed subperiod (vegetative, reproductive, pre-harvest, no rice, and land preparation), characterized by a single-peak diurnal pattern. The variables that most influenced methane emissions were air and surface temperatures. In the growing season, the rice vegetative stage was responsible for most of the measured emissions. The accumulated annual emission estimated was 44.88 g CH4 m?2 y?1, being 64% (28.50 g CH4 m?2) due to the rice-growing season and 36% (16.38 g CH4 m?2) due to the fallow period. These results show the importance of including fallow periods in strategies to mitigate methane emissions in flood irrigated rice-growing areas

Avaliação do modelo regional eta utilizando as análises do CPTEC e NCEP Evaluation of the eta regional model using the analysis of CPTEC and NCEP

Os modelos numéricos de tempo são ferramentas essenciais para a previsão de curto e longo prazo, permitindo realizar a previsão com vários dias de antecedência. O conhecimento do desempenho dos modelos e dos erros sistemáticos a eles associados, é de suma importância, pois permite avaliar a capacidade dos mesmos em captar os processos físicos da atmosfera. Com intuito de melhorar a qualidade da previsão de tempo na América do Sul, disponibilizada no Centro de Previsão de Tempo e Estudos Climáticos (CPTEC), este trabalho avaliou as previsões de precipitação e pressão ao nível médio do mar para o prazo de até 120 horas, utilizando o erro médio (EM) e a raiz do erro médio quadrático (REMQ) no período de dezembro de 2007 a fevereiro de 2008. O modelo utilizado foi o ETA (40 km), com duas entradas distintas de dados, as análises do Physical-space Statistical Analysis System (PSAS) (ETA-I) e do National Centers for Environmental Predictions (NCEP) (ETA-II). Os resultados mostraram, para ambas as análises, uma tendência de superestimativa (valores positivos do erro médio) da precipitação sobre a Região Norte do Brasil, principalmente para 24 horas de previsão. Em relação à pressão ao nível médio do mar (PNMM) foi possível verificar claramente que o ETA-I apresenta melhores resultados em comparação com o ETA-II, cujos valores de pressão se aproximaram bastante do observado, principalmente nas primeiras horas de integração.<br>The numerical weather models are essential tools for predicting short and long term, allowing the prediction of weather conditions several days in advance. The knowledge of models performance and the systematic errors associated with them is extremely important because it allows to evaluate the ability to capture the physical processes of the atmosphere. In order to improve the quality of weather forecast in South America, available at Center for Weather Forecast and Climate Studies (CPTEC), this study evaluated the forecasts of precipitation and mean sea level pressure for the period up to 120 hours, using the mean error (ME) and the root mean squared error (RMSE) from December 2007 to February 2008. The used model was the ETA (40 km), with two separate entries of data, the analysis of the Physical-Space Statistical Analysis System (PSAS) (ETA-I) and the National Centers for Environmental Predictions (NCEP) (ETA-II). The results showed, for both tests, a trend of overestimation (positive values of average error) of precipitation on the Northern Region of Brazil, mainly for the 24 hours forecast. Considering the mean sea level pressure (MSLP), it was clearly seen that the ETA-I, whose values of pressure are very close to observed, provides better results compared to the ETA-II, especially during the first hours of integration

Baixa do Noroeste Argentino e Baixa do Chaco: caracterísitcas, diferenças e semelhanças The Northewestern Argentinean Low and The Chaco Low: their characteristics, differences and similarities

A Baixa do Chaco e a Baixa do Noroeste Argentino são frequentemente confundidas ou tratadas como um único sistema. Isso se deve a vários fatores: o pouco conhecimento que se tem sobre elas, especialmente sobre a Baixa do Chaco, a baixa resolução das reanálises globais que as mostram como um único sistema e a relativamente escassa cobertura de dados sobre a região que ocupam. Este trabalho tenta contribuir para o melhor entendimento das diferenças e semelhanças entre ambos os sistemas, analisando algumas características dinâmicas e termodinâmicas da região em que elas atuam, com a finalidade de aprofundar seu conhecimento e de possibilitar a sua melhor identificação e diferenciação. O estudo utiliza as reanálises do modelo regional Eta/CPTEC do período (2000-2004) e considera os meses de verão, período no qual as duas baixas estão ativas. Os resultados mostraram que a Baixa do Noroeste Argentino está mais relacionada com a atividade transiente, o que pode ser comprovado através da influência do jato subtropical e da variabilidade temporal de algumas variáveis, como a pressão e a temperatura potencial equivalente. A Baixa do Chaco se desenvolve numa atmosfera mais instável do ponto de vista termodinâmico, porém menos afetada pela dinâmica das latitudes médias.<br>The Chaco Low and the Northwestern Argentinean Low are frequently confounded or treated as a single system, due to our limited knowledge about them (especially concerning the Chaco Low), the low resolution of global analyses -that show them as a single low pressure system-, and the relatively poor data coverage over the region where they are usually located. This article aims to contribute to a better understanding of the differences and similarities between them, as well as to analyze the atmospheric dynamical and thermo-dynamical conditions where they evolve. It is considered that this study will aid to a better recognition of both systems. With this purpose, regional reanalyses from the Eta/CPTEC model for the 2000-2004 period has been used. The article focuses in summer months, since both low-pressure systems are more active during this season. Results show that the Northwestern Argentinean Low is more related to transient activity, as can be deducted from the subtropical jet influence on this system and also from the temporal variability of some key variables -such as the sea level pressure and the equivalent potential temperature-. From a thermo-dynamic point of view, the Chaco Low develops in a more unstable environment and is less influenced by middle latitude dynamics