Intraseasonal circulation and outgoing longwave radiation modes during Northern Hemisphere winter.

Abstract

An eigenvector analysis is used to characterize global-scale, intraseasonal variability in satellite-derived outgoing longwave radiation fields and NMC analyzed circulation fields. Five-day averages covering November-March of 1974-75 through 1979-80 comprise the data sample. The results show that circulation eigenvectors 2 and 3 describe wavenumber 1 and wavenumber 2 index cycles of the extratropical windfield, while radiation eigenvectors 2 and 4 describe large-scale fluctuations in tropical cloudiness.-from Author