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Aerial Rivers and Lakes: Looking at Large-Scale Moisture Transport and Its Relation to Amazonia and to Subtropical Rainfall in South America

Arraut, Josefina Moraes ; Nobre, Carlos ; Barbosa, Henrique M. J. ; Obregon, Guillermo ; Marengo, José

Journal of climate, 2012-01, Vol.25 (2), p.543-556 [Peer Reviewed Journal]

Boston, MA: American Meteorological Society

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Title:
Aerial Rivers and Lakes: Looking at Large-Scale Moisture Transport and Its Relation to Amazonia and to Subtropical Rainfall in South America
Author: Arraut, Josefina Moraes ; Nobre, Carlos ; Barbosa, Henrique M. J. ; Obregon, Guillermo ; Marengo, José
Subjects: Atmosphere ; Atmospheric moisture ; Atmospherics ; Climate ; Climate change ; Confluence ; Dry season ; Dry seasons ; Earth, ocean, space ; Evaporation ; Exact sciences and technology ; External geophysics ; Freshwater ; Lakes ; Mesoscale convective complexes ; Moisture content ; Moisture effects ; Observational studies ; Precipitable water ; Precipitation ; Rain ; Rainfall ; River discharge ; River flow ; Rivers ; Runoff ; Seasons ; Subtropics ; Surface water ; Temperate regions ; Trade winds ; Transport ; Tropical climates ; Water content ; Water discharge ; Weather forecasting ; Wind ; Wind flow
Is Part Of: Journal of climate, 2012-01, Vol.25 (2), p.543-556
Notes: ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
Description: This is an observational study of the large-scale moisture transport over South America, with some analyses on its relation to subtropical rainfall. The concept of aerial rivers is proposed as a framework: it is an analogy between the main pathways of moisture flow in the atmosphere and surface rivers. Opposite to surface rivers, aerial rivers gain (lose) water through evaporation (precipitation). The magnitude of the vertically integrated moisture transport is discharge, and precipitable water is like the mass of the liquid column—multiplied by an equivalent speed it gives discharge. Trade wind flow into Amazonia, and the north/northwesterly flow to the subtropics, east of the Andes, are aerial rivers. Aerial lakes are the sections of a moisture pathway where the flow slows down and broadens, because of diffluence, and becomes deeper, with higher precipitable water. This is the case over Amazonia, downstream of the trade wind confluence. In the dry season, moisture from the aerial lake is transported northeastward, but weaker flow over southern Amazonia heads southward toward the subtropics. Southern Amazonia appears as a source of moisture to this flow. Aerial river discharge to the subtropics is comparable to that of the Amazon River. The variations of the amount of moisture coming from Amazonia have an important effect over the variability of discharge. Correlations between the flow from Amazonia and subtropical rainfall are not strong. However, some months within the set of dry seasons observed showed a strong increase (decrease) occurring together with an important increase (decrease) in subtropical rainfall.
Publisher: Boston, MA: American Meteorological Society
Language: English

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Aerial Rivers and Lakes: Looking at Large-Scale Moisture Transport and Its Relation to Amazonia and to Subtropical Rainfall in South America

Arraut, Josefina Moraes ; Nobre, Carlos ; Barbosa, Henrique M. J. ; Obregon, Guillermo ; Marengo, José

Boston, MA: American Meteorological Society

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