The relationship between monthly midtropospheric circulation variations, occurring in the North American sector, and surface temperature and precipitation across the Great Plains is evaluated for the middle month of each season (January, April, July, and October). The results demonstrate that monthly Great Plains temperature variability is strongly associated with the majorpattems of midtroposp...

We study the multifractal temporal scaling properties of river discharge and precipitation records. We compare the results for the multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis method with the results for the wavelet transform modulus maxima technique and obtain agreement within the error margins. In contrast to previous studies, we find non-universal behaviour: On long time scales, above a cross...

Recent theoretical advances in the relationship between heat transport and the position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) present an elegant framework through which to interpret past changes in tropical precipitation patterns. Using a very large ensemble of climate model simulations, we investigate whether it is possible to use this framework to interpret changes in the position of t...

Monthly precipitation data from the period of 1970 to 2004 from 38 meteorological stations in the Mantaro river basin were used to classify the rainy seasons (September–April) of each year into anomalously dry or wet, and to determine the basin-wide extent of the anomalies based on the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI). The wet periods mostly occurred in the early 1970’s and during the fir...

The interannual variability of the location of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) is strongly (R5 0.75) correlated with the atmospheric heat transport across the equator (AHTEQ) over the satellite era (1979–2009). A 18 northward displacement of the ITCZ is associatedwith 0.34PWof anomalousAHTEQ fromnorth to south. The AHTEQ and precipitation anomalies are both associated with an intensif...

The factors controlling seasonal rainfall interception loss are investigated by using a double-mass curve analysis, based on direct measurements of high-temporal resolution gross rainfall, throughfall and stemflow from 43 rainfall events that occurred in central Taiwan from April 2008 to April 2009. The canopy water storage capacity for the wet season was estimated to be 1.86 mm, about twice th...

This study examines the relationship between cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning and surface precipitation using observations from six regions (each on the order of 10 000 km2), April through October (1989–93), in the southcentral United States. The relationship is evaluated using two different methods. First, regression equations are fit to the data, initially for only the CG lightning flash densit...