Abstract
This case study analyzes water vapor flux that is vertically integrated into the atmosphere in episodes of the South Atlantic Convergence Zone (SACZ). The scope of this study is two cases that occurred between January and February 2018. We use the ERA-Interim reanalysis data from the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) to build the maps of vertically integrated water vapor flux and its divergence. We use two 5º by 5º sub-areas, centralized over Belo Horizonte and São Paulo, as control for water vapor balance. The results point to the existence of water vapor transport from the Amazon region to Southeastern Brazil in association to the SACZ. Convergence areas of vertically integrated water vapor flux predominate along the Northwest-Southeast line. The two cases over the Belo Horizonte area presented an average of water vapor balance of -1.8 and -12.9 mm/day. The average at the São Paulo area was -3.6 and 2.0 mm/day. The negative values indicate that precipitation exceeded evapotranspiration, that is, the area served as a water vapor sink.
Highlights
Tropical forests provide a large amount of humidity to the atmosphere and present high temperatures throughout the year, favoring convective regions
This paper studies the transport of water vapor, we have selected areas around Belo Horizonte and São Paulo, in the Southeast region of the country, where the results are further perceivable
In the early days of this episode, the South Atlantic Convergence Zone (SACZ) was located over Minas Gerais
Summary
Tropical forests provide a large amount of humidity to the atmosphere and present high temperatures throughout the year, favoring convective regions. The data often present a considerable gap in both space and time info. This fact furthers the development and improvement of existing models, which improves the reanalysis data. Several forecasting centers in the country use its data as input in regional atmospheric modeling. They generate numerous forecasts of meteorological variables using its output. It is instrumental for making fundamental decisions for better risk management in order to meet the needs of the population
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