Interannual variability of Caribbean rainfall, ENSO, and the Atlantic Ocean

Abstract

The large-scale ocean-atmosphere patterns that influence the interannual variability of Caribbean-Central American rainfall are analyzed. The atmosphere circulation over this region is shaped by the competition between the North Atlantic subtropical high sea level pressure (SLP) system and the eastern Pacific intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ), which influence the convergence patterns on seasonal and interannual timescales.