An Analysis of the Atmospheric Water Balance Over the Southern Hemisphere

Abstract

An analysis of the atmospheric water balance over the Southern Hemi sphere is conducted for the time period June 1980 through May 1984 that includes the 1982-1983 El Niño event. Notable spatial and temporal variations are evident in the moisture flux divergence fields, in the mean meridional transport of water vapor, and in the moisture content of portions of the tropical atmosphere that are attributable to the 1982-1983 ENSO event. Estimates of the net gain/loss of atmospheric water are provided for 10° latitude belts; although the magnitudes of the differences between evaporation and precipitation fall within the range of previous estimates, they are most probably underestimated. [Key words: atmospheric water balance, El Niño, hydrologic cycle, southern hemisphere, water vapor flux.]