Understanding sudden changes in cloud amount: The Southern Annular Mode and South American weather fluctuations

Abstract

This work investigates the cause and effects of extreme changes in synoptic‐scale cloud cover operating at daily timescales using a variety of satellite‐based and reanalysis data sets. It is found that the largest sudden increases detected in globally averaged cloud cover over the last ten years of satellite‐based observations occur following positively correlated shifts in the phase of the Southern Annular Mode (SAM) index. The associated pressure anomalies are found to generate frontal cloud formation over large areas of the South American continent, increasing regional cloud cover by up to 20%; these changes are correlated to statistically significant reductions in local temperatures of approximately −2.5°C with a +1 day time lag, indicating the SAM index is associated with large scale weather fluctuations over South America.