Amazon Heat Sources: Regional and Remote Importance
April 30, 2012
Pedro L. Silva Dias
Hosted by Wayne Schubert
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Abstract
The South American Monsoon System (SAMS) is now clearly recognized as one of the major features of the tropical circulation. The South Atlantic Convergence Zone (SACZ) and the Amazon Heat Source, are major features of the SAMS and constitute important heat sources with regional and remote influences, with significant diurnal, synoptic, intraseasonal, decadal or multi-decadal variability. I will review my work done in this area since the 70’s, starting from the theoretical results with linear models, the role of heat sources in sheared environment and impact on teleconnections, theoretical studies on the determination of the subsidence induced by the Amazon and SACZ heat sources, remote influences of the SAMS heat sources and the energy transfer from the diurnal to very long time scales.
