The predictability of February-March-April seasonal rainfall over Nordeste (Northeast Brazil) is examined from the suite of CFS hindcasts. Nordeste from past forced AGCM studies is found to be one of the most promising areas of climate prediction as its variability is strongly dictated by the slowly varying SSTA over the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean and the tropical Atlantic Ocean. The rainfall variability over Nordeste is intricately related to SST variations in both the equatorial Pacific Ocean and the tropical Atlantic Ocean and their subtle interactions. We propose to examine if such a conclusion can be drawn from a coupled climate model which has relatively high skill in predicting SSTA over the equatorial Pacific region. Furthermore, the analysis will also provide a hindcast skill evaluation over the tropical Atlantic region.Pages: 585-58
