Interannual variability of rainfall in the eastern horn of Africa and indicators of atmospheric circulation

Abstract

AbstractRelationships between rainfall variations in the Eastern Horn of Africa, the Southern Oscillation, and the Indian Ocean temperature and pressure surface fields are studied for the period 1932–83. Rainfall data consist of stations and regional indices calculated for three selected areas experiencing quite different rainfall patterns. The results indicate significant negative correlations between northern autumn rains in Somalia and the Southern Oscillation during the same season. These rains are also negatively correlated with pressure in the Western Indian Ocean, and positively correlated in the Eastern Indian Ocean. The reverse pattern is shown with sea‐surface temperature. This agrees very well with the observations made in Kenya as far as the short rains of October‐November are concerned.Central Ethiopia summer rains, in contrast, indicate significant positive correlations with the Southern Oscillation, at zero and 3 months lag. El Niño years often correspond to drought years in this region. Evidence of an inverse relationship between the amount of rainfall in Ethiopia during summer (especially during September) and both the pressure and sea temperature over the Indian Ocean is also given. Correlations with the Arabian Sea are particularly strong.However, teleconnections between summer rains in Northern Ethiopia (Eritrea) and the ENSO or the Indian Ocean fields are much weaker.These results suggest that, although summer rains over Ethiopia are said to be related to the monsoon air flow from the Congo Basin and the Atlantic Ocean, there also exist quite strong connections with the surface conditions prevailing in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.