A multi-model approach to the Atlantic Equatorial mode: impact on the West African monsoon

This paper is focused on the West African anomalous precipitation response to an Atlantic Equatorial mode whose origin, development and damping resembles the observed one during the last decades of the XXth century. In the framework of the AMMA-EU project, this paper analyses the atmospheric response to the Equatorial mode using a multimodel approach with an ensemble of integrations from 4 AGCMs under a time varying Equatorial SST mode. The Guinean Gulf precipitation, which together with the Sahelian mode accounts for most of the summer West African rainfall variability, is highly coupled to this Equatorial Atlantic SST mode or Atlantic Niño. In a previous study, done with the same models under 1958–1997 observed prescribed SSTs, most of the models identify the Equatorial Atlantic SST mode as the one most related to the Guinean Gulf precipitation. The models response to the positive phase of equatorial Atlantic mode (warm SSTs) depicts a direct impact in the equatorial Atlantic, leading to a decrease of the local surface temperature gradient, weakening the West African Monsoon flow and the surface convergence over the Sahel.     

Stratospheric zonal wind and temperature in relation to summer monsoon rainfall over India

Summary  The interannual variability of the Indian summer monsoon (June–September) rainfall is examined in relation to the stratospheric zonal wind and temperature fluctuations at three stations, widely spaced apart. The data analyzed are for Balboa, Ascension and Singapore, equatorial stations using recent period (1964–1994) data, at each of the 10, 30 and 50 hPa levels. The 10 hPa zonal wind for Balboa and Ascension during January and the 30 hPa zonal wind for Balboa during April are found to be positively correlated with the subsequent Indian summer monsoon rainfall, whereas the temperature at 10 hPa for Ascension during May is negatively correlated with Indian summer monsoon rainfall. The relationship with stratospheric temperatures appears to be the best, and is found to be stable over the period of analysis. Stratospheric temperature is also significantly correlated with the summer monsoon rainfall over a large and coherent region, in the north-west of India. Thus, the 10 hPa temperature for Ascension in May appears to be useful for forecasting summer monsoon rainfall for not only the whole of India, but also for a smaller region lying to the north-west of India. Received July 30, 1999 Revised March 17, 2000     

Simulation of state-dependent high-frequency atmospheric variability associated with ENSO

High-frequency atmospheric variability depends on the phase of El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Recently, there is increasing evidence that state-dependent high-frequency atmospheric variability significantly modulates ENSO characteristics. Hence, in this study, we examine the model simulations of high-frequency atmospheric variability and, further, its dependency on the El Nino phase, using atmospheric and coupled GCMs (AGCM and CGCM). We use two versions of physical packages here—with and without convective momentum transport (CMT)—in both models. We found that the CMT simulation gives rise to a large climatological zonal wind difference over the Pacific. Also, both the climate models show a significantly improved performance in simulating the state-dependent noise when the CMT parameterization is implemented. We demonstrate that the better simulation of the state-dependent noise results from a better representation of anomalous, as well as climatological, zonal wind. Our further comparisons between the simulations, demonstrates that low-frequency wind is a crucial factor in determining the state-dependency of high-frequency wind variability. Therefore, it is suggested that the so-called state-dependent noise is directly induced by the low-frequency wind anomaly, which is caused by SST associated with ENSO.     

Predictability of SST forced climate signals in two atmospheric general circulation models

 The predictability of atmospheric responses to global sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies is evaluated using ensemble simulations of two general circulation models (GCMs): the GENESIS version 1.5 (GEN) and the ECMWF cycle 36 (ECM). The integrations incorporate observed SST variations but start from different initial land and atmospheric states. Five GEN 1980–1992 and six ECM 1980–1988 realizations are compared with observations to distinguish predictable SST forced climate signals from internal variability. To facilitate the study, correlation analysis and significance evaluation techniques are developed on the basis of time series permutations. It is found that the annual mean global area with realistic signals is variable dependent and ranges from 3 to 20% in GEN and 6 to 28% in ECM. More than 95% of these signal areas occur between 35 °S–35 °N. Due to the existence of model biases, robust responses, which are independent of initial condition, are identified over broader areas. Both GCMs demonstrate that the sensitivity to initial conditions decreases and the predictability of SST forced responses increases, in order, from 850 hPa zonal wind, outgoing longwave radiation, 200 hPa zonal wind, sea-level pressure to 500 hPa height. The predictable signals are concentrated in the tropical and subtropical Pacific Ocean and are identified with typical El Ni?o/ Southern Oscillation phenomena that occur in response to SST and diabatic heating anomalies over the equatorial central Pacific. ECM is less sensitive to initial conditions and better predicts SST forced climate changes. This results from (1) a more realistic basic climatology, especially of the upper-level wind circulation, that produces more realistic interactions between the mean flow, stationary waves and tropical forcing; (2) a more vigorous hydrologic cycle that amplifies the tropical forcing signals, which can exceed internal variability and be more efficiently transported from the forcing region. Differences between the models and observations are identified. For GEN during El Ni?o, the convection does not carry energy to a sufficiently high altitude, while the spread of the tropospheric warming along the equator is slower and the anomaly magnitude smaller than observed. This impacts model ability to simulate realistic responses over Eurasia and the Indian Ocean. Similar biases exist in the ECM responses. In addition, the relationships between upper and lower tropospheric wind responses to SST forcing are not well reproduced by either model. The identification of these model biases leads to the conclusion that improvements in convective heat and momentum transport parametrizations and basic climate simulations could substantially increase predictive skill. Received: 25 April 1996 / Accepted: 9 December 1996     

Changes in the interannual SST-forced signals on West African rainfall. AGCM intercomparison

Rainfall over West Africa shows strong interannual variability related to changes in Sea Surface Temperature (SST). Nevertheless, this relationship seem to be non-stationary. A particular turning point is the decade of the 1970s, which witnessed a number of changes in the climatic system, including the climate shift of the late 1970s. The first aim of this study is to explore the change in the interannual variability of West African rainfall after this shift. The analysis indicates that the dipolar features of the rainfall variability over this region, related to changes in the Atlantic SST, disappear after this period. Also, the Pacific SST variability has a higher correlation with Guinean rainfall in the recent period. The results suggest that the current relationship between the Atlantic and Pacific El Ni?o phenomena is the principal responsible for these changes. A fundamental goal of climate research is the development of models simulating a realistic current climate. For this reason, the second aim of this work is to test the performance of Atmospheric General Circulation models in simulating rainfall variability over West Africa. The models have been run with observed SSTs for the common period 1957?C1998 as part of an intercomparison exercise. The results show that the models are able to reproduce Guinean interannual variability, which is strongly related to SST variability in the Equatorial Atlantic. Nevertheless, problems in the simulation of the Sahelian interannual variability appear: not all models are able to reproduce the observed negative link between rainfall over the Sahel and El Ni?o-like anomalies in the Pacific, neither the positive correlation between Mediterranean SSTs and Sahelian rainfall.     

Seasonality and time scales in the relationship between global SST and African rainfall

The main goal of this study is to determine the oceanic regions corresponding to variability in African rainfall and seasonal differences in the atmospheric teleconnections. Canonical correlation analysis (CCA) has been applied in order to extract the dominant patterns of linear covariability. An ensemble of six simulations with the global atmospheric general circulation model ECHAM4, forced with observed sea surface temperatures (SSTs) and sea ice boundary variability, is used in order to focus on the SST-related part of African rainfall variability. Our main finding is that the boreal summer rainfall (June–September mean) over Africa is more affected by SST changes than in boreal winter (December–March mean). In winter, there is a highly significant link between tropical African rainfall and Indian Ocean and eastern tropical Pacific SST anomalies, which is closely related to El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). However, long-term changes are found to be associated with SST changes in the Indian and tropical Atlantic Oceans, thus, showing that the tropical Atlantic plays a critical role in determining the position of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ). Since ENSO is less in summer, the tropical Pacific and the Indian Oceans are less important for African rainfall. The African summer monsoon is strongly influenced by SST variations in the Gulf of Guinea, with a response of opposite sign over the Sahelian zone and the Guinean coast region. SST changes in the subtropical and extratropical oceans mostly take place on decadal time scales and are responsible for low-frequency rainfall fluctuations over West Africa. The modelled teleconnections are highly consistent with the observations. The agreement for most of the teleconnection patterns is remarkable and suggests that the modelled rainfall anomalies serve as suitable predictors for the observed changes.     

东亚夏季风强度的多尺度统计预测模型

东亚夏季风强度的变化与中国雨带和旱涝分布密切相关。为了做好东亚夏季风强度的短期气候预测,采用小波分析、Lanczos滤波器、交叉检验等方法,研究了东亚夏季风强度的多尺度变化特征,在年际与年代际尺度上分别寻找了它在前冬海温场、200 hPa纬向风场上的前兆信号,并利用最优子集回归建立了东亚夏季风强度的多尺度统计物理预测模型。结果表明:东亚夏季风强度存在准4年、准13年和准43年的周期振荡。年际尺度上,前冬赤道东太平洋(10°N~10°S,160°W~80°W)海温与东亚夏季风强度有最强的显著负相关,且它与东亚夏季风强度在200 hPa纬向风场上的前兆信号有较强的负相关;年代际尺度上,南半球60°S与35°S附近200 hPa纬向风之差与东亚夏季风强度有最强的显著正相关,且它与东亚夏季风强度在热带印度洋、低纬度东南太平洋、低纬度南大西洋的海温及亚洲副热带200 hPa纬向风等前兆信号有强的正相关。通过探讨这两个前兆因子对东亚夏季风强度的预测意义,揭示了他们影响东亚夏季风强度年际和年代际变化的可能物理过程。所建立的东亚夏季风强度多尺度最优子集回归预测模型,不仅对东亚夏季风强度的年际变化具有较好的预测能力,而且对异常极值年份也具有一定的预测能力。     

Tropical Stratospheric Circulation and Monsoon Rainfall

Interannual variability of both SW monsoon (June-September) and NE monsoon (October-December) rainfall over subdivisions of Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Rayalaseema and Tamil Nadu have been examined in relation to monthly zonal wind anomaly for 10 hPa, 30 hPa and 50 hPa at Balboa (9°N, 80°W) for the 29 year period (1958-1986). Correlations of zonal wind anomalies to SW monsoon rainfall (r = 0.57, significant at 1% level) is highest with the longer lead time (August of the previous year) at 10 hPa level suggesting some predictive value for Coastal Andhra Pradesh. The probabilities estimated from the contingency table reveal non-occurrence of flood during easterly wind anomalies and near non-occurrence of drought during westerly anomalies for August of the previous year at 10 hPa which provides information for forecasting of performance of SW monsoon over Coastal Andhra Pradesh. However, NE monsoon has a weak relationship with zonal wind anomalies of 10 hPa, 30 hPa and 50 hPa for Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Raya     

Relationships Between QBO in the Lower Equatorial Stratospheric Zonal Winds and East African Seasonal Rainfall

Summary Teleconnections between the seasonal rainfall anomalies of March through May (“long-rains”) over eastern Africa (Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania) and the lower equatorial stratospheric (30-mb) zonal winds for the 32-year period 1964–1995 are examined using statistical methods. The analysis is based on the application of the simple correlation method and QBO/rainfall composite analysis. A statistical study of spatial correlation patterns is made in an effort to understand the climatic associations between the equatorial stratospheric zonal wind and regional rainfall at the interannual scale. The aim of this analysis is to establish whether this global signal can be employed as predictor variable in the long-range forecasts. The study is part of an ongoing investigation, which aims at designing a comprehensive and objective, multi-variate-forecast system of seasonal rainfall over eastern Africa. The correlation parameters include simultaneous (zero lag), and the non-zero lag correlations. The statistical significance of the correlation coefficient [r] is tested based on the Monte Carlo t-statistical method, and the standard correlation tables. Our results indicate significant positive simultaneous and non-zero lag correlations between rainfall over parts of East Africa and lower equatorial stratospheric zonal wind during the months of March–May and June–August. Significantly high correlations are concentrated over the western regions of eastern Africa with peak values of (+ 0.8) observed over these areas. These associations have been observed to be more prominent during lag than in the simultaneous correlations. Strong month to month lag coherence is observed after June prior to the onset of the March to May seasonal rainfall and persists for more than 4 months. Correlation indices for the eight homogeneous rainfall regions over eastern Africa which are derived from our Empirical Orthogonal Function/Cluster analysis shows a clear annual cycle with significant relationships between QBO and seasonal rainfall occurring during boreal summer (June–August). The season with the weakest relationship is December–February. It is however, noted that although the coherence between QBO-Index and rainfall during the long-rains is significantly high, there are some wet/dry years for which the relationship between the long rains and the lower equatorial zonal wind are not significant (for example in 1966, 1973 and 1983). These years have been associated with strong and prolonged ENSO events. Preliminary comparison of the QBO-Index and the newly found Indian Ocean dipole mode index (DMI) indicates that the two climate variables may be significantly related. Of the six high dipole mode events in the Indian Ocean that were observed in 1961, 1967, 1972, 1982, 1994 and 1997, all except 1967 coincided with the easterly phase of the QBO-Index and below normal rainfall over western highlands of eastern Africa. Contingency analyses indicate 60 percent likelihood for the occurrence of above normal rainfall during the westerly phase of the QBO and 63 percent likelihood of below normal rainfall during the east phase of the QBO. Our correlation analysis results indicate that about 36 percent of the variability of the long-rains season over eastern Africa are associated with the QBO-Index. Our results further show that the tendency of the lower equatorial stratosphe ric zonal wind prior to the season is a good indicator of the performance of the long rains of eastern Africa. A positive OND minus JJA QBO trend is a good indicator for the non-occurrence of drought over eastern Africa. Similarly, a negative trend is a good indicator for the non-occurrence of high rainfall over the region. The identified characteristics and domain of influence of the QBO signal in different regions of East Africa suggests that this global oscillator may offer useful input to objective multi-variate rainfall prediction models for eastern Africa. Received June 4, 1999 Revised November 25, 1999     

热带环流异常与我国夏季降水分布的关系

本文利用经验正交函数（EOF）分解方法，给出我国夏季雨带分型的定量指标，它们分别代表三种典型雨型。文章分析了夏季不同雨型年的热带环流特征，讨论了热带风场与前三个特征向量所对应的时间系数之间的相关场分布。结果表明:夏季南方类雨型与赤道中、东太平洋地区850 hPa（200 hPa）纬向风成正（负）相关；北方类雨型与澳大利亚附近高低空纬向风密切相关；中间类雨型则对印度洋地区的环流异常响应最为敏感。     

Fluctuations in annual cycles and inter-seasonal memory in West Africa: rainfall, soil moisture and heat fluxes

Summary Annual cycle and inter-seasonal persistence of surface-atmosphere water and heat fluxes are analyzed at a 5-day time step over the West African Monsoon (WAM) through observational precipitation estimates (CMAP), model datasets (NCEP/DOE level 2 reanalyses) and a Soil Water Index (SWI) from the ERS scatterometer. Coherent fluctuations (30–90 days) distinct from supra-synoptic variability (10–25 day periods) are first detected in the WAM precipitation and heat fluxes over the period 1979–2001. During all the northward excursion of the WAM rain band, a succession of four active phases (abrupt rainfall increases) occurs. They are centered in the first days of March, mid-April, the second half of May and from the last week of June to mid-July (the Sahelian onset). A simple statistical approach shows that the Spring to Summer installation of the monsoon tends to be sensitive to these short periods. Other analyses suggest the existence of lagged relationship between rainfall amounts registered in successive Fall, Spring (active periods) and Summer (top of the rainy season) implying land surface conditions. The spatial extension of the generated soil moisture anomalies reaches one maximum in March, mainly at the Guinean latitudes and over the Sahelian belt where the signal can persist until the next monsoon onset. Typically after abnormal wet conditions in September–October two signals are observed: (1) more marked fluctuations in Spring with less (more) Sahelian rainfall in May (June and after) at the Sahelian-Sudanian latitudes; (2) wetter rainy seasons along the Guinean coast (in Spring and Summer with an advance in the mean date of the ‘little dry season’). The reverse arises after abnormal dry conditions in autumn.     

Annual cycle of the mid-tropospheric easterly jet over West Africa

Summary The paper examines the annual cycle of the mid-tropospheric easterly jet (MTJ) over West Africa against the background of many reviews indicating different locations and characteristics of the jet and considering it as a summer feature. NCEP–NCAR reanalysis zonal wind datasets for the period 1971–2000 and upper air datasets over the region are used. The results exhibit realistic spatial structure of the easterly jet. The long-term mean of the datasets suggests that the jet over West Africa is not only a summer feature but can also be found in winter with the same order of magnitude in the wind velocity at the core. The jet axis is located at about lat. 2° N close to the Guinean Coast in winter and at lat. 14° N in summer. The meridional oscillation of the jet suggests that as it advances northward, it maintains an altitude of 700 hPa in winter and transits in mid-spring to 650 hPa and reaches 600 hPa in summer. In the retreat, it displaces to 650 hPa at the end of September rather sharply to reach 700 hPa in October. The jet’s core has been observed to have a northeast–southwest orientation from season to season, covering a longitude of 29° from its southernmost to the northernmost positions.     

North African climate variability. Part 2: Tropical circulation systems

Summary Tropical North African climate variability is investigated using a Sahel rainfall index and streamflow of the Nile River in the 20^th century. The mechanisms that govern tropical North Africa climate are diagnosed from NCEP reanalysis data in the period 1958–1998: spatially – using composite and correlation analysis, and temporally – using wavelet co-spectral analysis. The Sahelian climate is characterised by a decadal rhythm, whilst the mountainous eastern and equatorial regions exhibit interannual cycles. ENSO-modulated zonal circulations over the Atlantic/Pacific sector are important for decadal variations, and create a climatic polarity between South America and tropical North Africa as revealed through upper-level velocity potential and convection patterns. A more localised N–S shift in convection between the Sahel and Guinea coast is associated with the African Easterly Jet.     

赤道平流层QBO与我国7月雨型的关联

根据1953～1991年赤道平流层纬向风资料分析,得出我国东部地区7月份主要雨带位置与赤道平流层30～50 hPa平均纬向风准两年振荡（以下简称赤道平流层QBO）有较好的关联。在西风位相条件下,我国7月主要雨带位置较偏北;在东风位相条件下,我国7月主要雨带位置易偏南。它们之间的关系主要是通过对对流层环流的影响相联系的。利用赤道平流层纬向风的变化规律并结合冬季北太平洋对流层环流特征,对我国7月主要雨带类型的预报,有一定实用意义。     

热带夏季风场与对流场季节内振荡传播模比较

利用1979-2007年卫星观测日平均OLR资料以及NCEP/DOE第2套再分析资料中的风场资料,采用有限区域波一频分析、合成分析等方法,分析对比对流层高、低层风场与对流场所表征的热带北半球夏季季节内振荡(BSISO)各种传播模态谱分布气候特征及其年际异常。结果表明:各要素反映的BSISO各种模态的气候特征及其年际变化存在一定差异,总体而言对流层低层风(850hPa纬向风或经向风)与对流比较一致。850hPa经向风(纬向风)所反映的纬向(经向)传播BSISO谱分布气候特征与对流情况最相似。在ENSO发展年,850hPa经向风反映的赤道东传波加强趋势与对流较为一致;850hPa纬向风、经向风反映的北传波变化趋势都与对流相似。在ENSO衰减年,850hPa纬向风(经向风)反映的赤道东传波(赤道外西传波)减弱趋势与对流较为一致;对流以及850hPa经向风、200hPa纬向风和200hPa经向风4种要素都能体现南海及周边地区北传波明显减弱这一特征。对流和850hPa纬向风所反映的北传波与印度洋偶极子模态之间关系一致。     

Characteristics of summertime daily rainfall variability over South America and the South Atlantic Convergence Zone

Summary ?This paper presents an objective analysis of the structure of daily rainfall variability over the South American/South Atlantic region (15°–60° W and 0°–40° S) during individual austral summer months of November to March. From EOF analysis of satellite derived daily rainfall we find that the leading mode of variability is represented by a highly coherent meridional dipole structure, organised into 2 extensive bands, oriented northwest to southeast across the continent and Atlantic Ocean. We argue that this dipole structure represents variability in the meridional position of the South Atlantic Convergence Zone (SACZ). During early and later summer, in the positive (negative) phase of the dipole, enhanced (suppressed) rainfall over eastern tropical Brazil links with that over the subtropical and extra-tropical Atlantic and is associated with suppressed (enhanced) rainfall over the sub-tropical plains and adjacent Atlantic Ocean. This structure is indicative of interaction between the tropical, subtropical and temperate zones. Composite fields from NCEP reanalysis products (associated with the major positive and negative events) show that in early and late summer the position of the SACZ is associated with variability in: (a) the midlatitude wave structure, (b) the position of the continental low, and (c) the zonal position of the South Atlantic Subtropical High. Harmonic analysis of the 200 hPa geopotential anomaly structure in the midlatitudes indicates that reversals in the rainfall dipole structure are associated primarily with variability in zonal wave 4. There is evidence of a wave train extending throughout the midlatitudes from the western Pacific into the SACZ region. During positive (negative) events the largest anomalous moisture advection occurs within westerlies (easterlies) primarily from Amazonia (the South Atlantic). In both phases a convergent poleward flow results along the leading edge of the low-level trough extending from the tropics into temperate latitudes. High summer events differ from those in early and late summer in that the rainfall dipole is primarily associated with variability in the phase of zonal wave 3, and that tropical-temperate link is not clearly evident in positive events. Received May 31, 2001; revised October 17, 2001; accepted June 13, 2002     

Intercomparison of the northern hemisphere winter mid-latitude atmospheric variability of the IPCC models

We compare, for the overlapping time frame 1962–2000, the estimate of the northern hemisphere mid-latitude winter atmospheric variability within the available 20th century simulations of 19 global climate models included in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change—4th Assessment Report with the NCEP-NCAR and ECMWF reanalyses. We compute the Hayashi spectra of the 500 hPa geopotential height fields and introduce an ad hoc integral measure of the variability observed in the Northern Hemisphere on different spectral sub-domains. The total wave variability is taken as a global scalar metric describing the overall performance of each model, while the total variability pertaining to the eastward propagating baroclinic waves and to the planetary waves are taken as scalar metrics describing the performance of each model phenomenologically in connection with the corresponding specific physical process. Only two very high-resolution global climate models have a good agreement with reanalyses for both the global and the process-oriented metrics. Large biases, in several cases larger than 20%, are found in all the considered metrics between the wave climatologies of most IPCC models and the reanalyses, while the span of the climatologies of the various models is, in all cases, around 50%. In particular, the travelling baroclinic waves are typically overestimated by the climate models, while the planetary waves are usually underestimated, in agreement with what found is past analyses performed on global weather forecasting models. When comparing the results of similar models, it is apparent that in some cases the vertical resolution of the model atmosphere, the adopted ocean model, and the advection schemes seem to be critical in the bulk of the atmospheric variability. The models ensemble obtained by arithmetic averaging of the results of all models is biased with respect to the reanalyses but is comparable to the best five models. Nevertheless, the models results do not cluster around their ensemble mean. This study suggests caveats with respect to the ability of most of the presently available climate models in representing the statistical properties of the global scale atmospheric dynamics of the present climate and, a fortiori, in the perspective of modeling climate change.     

Easterly wave regimes and associated convection over West Africa and tropical Atlantic: results from the NCEP/NCAR and ECMWF reanalyses

 NCEP/NCAR and ECMWF daily reanalyses are used to investigate the synoptic variability of easterly waves over West Africa and tropical Atlantic at 700 hPa in northern summer between 1979–1995 (1979–1993 for ECMWF). Spectral analysis of the meridional wind component at 700 hPa highlighted two main periodicity bands, between 3 and 5 days, and 6 and 9 days. The 3–5-day easterly wave regime has already been widely investigated, but only on shorter datasets. These waves grow both north and south of the African Easterly Jet (AEJ). The two main tracks, noted over West Africa at 5 °N and 15 °N, converge over the Atlantic on latitude 17.5 °N. These waves are more active in August–September than in June–July. Their average wavelength/phase speed varies from about 3000 km/8 m s^-1 north of the jet to 5000 km/12 m s^-1 south of the jet. Rainfall, convection and monsoon flux are significantly modulated by these waves, convection in the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) being enhanced in the trough and ahead of it, with a wide meridional extension. Compared to the 3–5-day waves, the 6–9-day regime is intermittent and the corresponding wind field pattern has both similar and contrasting characteristics. The only main track is located north of the AEJ along 17.5 °N both over West Africa and the Atlantic. The mean wavelength is higher, about 5000 km long, and the average phase speed is about 7 m s^-1. Then the wind field perturbation is mostly evident at the AEJ latitude and north of it. The perturbation structure is similar to that of 3–5-days in the north except that the more developed circulation centers, moving more to the north, lead to a large modulation of the jet zonal wind component. South of the AEJ, the wind field perturbation is weaker and quite different. The zonal wind core of the jet appears to be an almost symmetric axis in the 6–9-day wind field pattern, a clockwise circulation north of the AEJ being associated with a counter-clockwise circulation south of the jet, and vice versa. These 6–9-day easterly waves also affect significantly rainfall, convection and monsoon flux but in a different way, inducing large zonal convective bands in the ITCZ, mostly in the trough and behind it. As opposed to the 3–5-day wave regime, these rainfall anomalies are associated with anomalies of opposite sign over the Guinea coast and the Sahelian regions. Over the continent, these waves are more active in June–July, and in August–September over the ocean. GATE phase I gave an example of such an active 6–9-day wave pattern. Considered as a sequence of weak easterly wave activity, this phase was also a sequence of high 6–9-day easterly wave activity. We suggest that the 6–9-day regime results from an interaction between the 3–5-day easterly wave regime (maintained by the barotropic/baroclinic instability of the AEJ), and the development of strong anticyclonic circulations, north of the jet over West Africa, and both north and south of the jet over the Atlantic, significantly affecting the jet zonal wind component. The permanent subtropical anticyclones (Azores, Libya, St Helena) could help initiation and maintenance of such regime over West Africa and tropical Atlantic. Based on an a priori period-band criterion, our synoptic classification has enabled us to point out two statistical and meteorological easterly wave regimes over West Africa and tropical Atlantic. NCEP/NCAR and ECMWF reanalyses are in good agreement, the main difference being a more developed easterly wave activity in the NCEP/NCAR reanalyses, especially for the 3–5-day regime over the Atlantic. Received: 28 May 1998 / Accepted: 2 May 1999     

Simulated changes in the relationship between tropical ocean temperatures and the western African monsoon during the mid-Holocene

Results from nine coupled ocean-atmosphere simulations have been used to investigate changes in the relationship between the variability of monsoon precipitation over western Africa and tropical sea surface temperatures (SSTs) between the mid-Holocene and the present day. Although the influence of tropical SSTs on the African monsoon is generally overestimated in the control simulations, the models reproduce aspects of the observed modes of variability. Thus, most models reproduce the observed negative correlation between western Sahelian precipitation and SST anomalies in the eastern tropical Pacific, and many of them capture the positive correlation between SST anomalies in the eastern tropical Atlantic and precipitation over the Guinea coastal region. Although the response of individual model to the change in orbital forcing between 6 ka and present differs somewhat, eight of the models show that the strength of the teleconnection between SSTs in the eastern tropical Pacific and Sahelian precipitation is weaker in the mid-Holocene. Some of the models imply that this weakening was associated with a shift towards longer time periods (from 3–5 years in the control simulations toward 4–10 years in the mid-Holocene simulations). The simulated reduction in the teleconnection between eastern tropical Pacific SSTs and Sahelian precipitation appears to be primarily related to a reduction in the atmospheric circulation bridge between the Pacific and West Africa but, depending on the model, other mechanisms such as increased importance of other modes of tropical ocean variability or increased local recycling of monsoonal precipitation can also play a role.