Análise da configuração meridional de variáveis atmosféricas e oceânica para o monitoramento da posição latitudinal da ZCIT no Atlântico Tropical.

Abstract

This research presents a study of the quantitative monitoring of the pentadal latitudinal position and the intensity of the variables involved in the characterization of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) in the Tropical Atlantic. The main objective of this study was to determine the latitudinal averages of the maximum and minimum values of atmospheric and oceanic variables in longitudinal bands throughout the year, as well as to analyze the degree of correlation between them. We analyzed mean pentadals data of Long Wave Radiation (ROL), Southern Wind Component, Sea Surface Temperature (SST), Mean Sea Pressure (PNMM) and the mean latitudinal position of the three previous variables. To do so, they were extracted from the re-analyzes at 3 UTC and 15 UTC times of the ERA-Interim, ECMWF (European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecast), with spatial resolution of 0.75 ° x 0.75 ° for the 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2016. The study area covers a cut over the Atlantic Ocean between 17.25N to 5.25ºS and 40ºW to 20ºW. It was noted that the mean latitudinal position of the three variables showed a good representation of the latitudinal positions, as well as indicative of the ITCZ. It was verified that the distribution of the latitudinal positions of the maximum SST values, minimum ROL, minimum PNMM and zero meridional wind component, represented by pentad, were positioned more towards the northern hemisphere (HN) and with central axis in the direction northeast. The maximum SST range was the one with the highest spatial variability. In general, the pentadal variabilities are larger when the central axis reaches its southernmost positions, except the PNMM. Monitoring ZCIT using the four variables is more effective than using only one