@Article{GarreaudVuilCompMare:2009:PrSoAm,
               author = "Garreaud, Rene D. and Vuille, Mathias and Compagnucci, Rosa and 
                         Marengo, Jose",
          affiliation = "{} and {} and {} and {Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais 
                         (INPE)}",
                title = "Present-day South American climate",
              journal = "Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology",
                 year = "2009",
               volume = "281",
               number = "3-4",
                pages = "180--195    ",
             keywords = "Climate, Atmospheric circulation, Precipitation, Climate 
                         variability, South America, sea-surface temperature, pacific 
                         decadal oscillation, interannual rainfall variability, atlantic 
                         convergence zone, brazilian amazon basin, el-nino, tropospheric 
                         circulation, global precipitation, tropical atlantic, northeast 
                         Brazil.",
             abstract = "This paper documents the main features of the climate and climate 
                         variability over South America, on the basis of instrumental 
                         observations gathered during the 20th Century. It should provide a 
                         modem reference framework for paleoclimate research in South 
                         America, targeting high-resolution proxies over the past few 
                         centuries. Several datasets suitable for present-day climate 
                         research are first described, highlighting their advantages as 
                         well as their limitations. We then provide a basic physical 
                         understanding of the mean annual cycle of the precipitation and 
                         atmospheric circulation over the continent and the adjacent 
                         oceans. In particular, the diversity of precipitation, temperature 
                         and wind patterns is interpreted in terms of the long meridional 
                         extent of the continent and the disruption of the large-scale 
                         circulation caused by the Andes cordillera, the contrasting 
                         oceanic boundary conditions and the landmass distribution. 
                         Similarly, the intensity and timing of the interannual and 
                         interdecadal climatic fluctuations exhibit considerable 
                         geographical dependence, as some regions are more influenced by 
                         large-scale phenomena rooted in the tropical oceans while others 
                         are more influenced by high-latitude phenomena. The impact of 
                         these large-scale phenomena over South America is documented by a 
                         regression analysis between selected atmospheric indices and the 
                         precipitation and temperature fields. We have included a 
                         discussion on the seasonality and long-term stability of such 
                         impacts, and complemented our general description by an updated 
                         review of the literature on climate variability over specific 
                         regions.",
                 issn = "0031-0182",
             language = "en",
           targetfile = "sa_climate_p3.pdf",
                  url = "DOI: 10.1016/j.palaeo.2007.10.032",
        urlaccessdate = "29 jun. 2024"
}