El Nino and atmospheric water vapor: observations from Nimbus 7 SMMR.

Abstract

Based on the data for three years, 1979-81, preceding the recent El Nino event, we have derived montly and seasonal mean maps of the water vapor over the oceans. These seasonal mean maps show 5 prominent features in the water vapor distribution throughout the year with some seasonal changes. Anomalies, with respect to the three year monthly mean, in the water vapor distribution over the oceans during the 1982-83 El Nino event lead us to infer significant changes in the circulation of the lower layers of the atmosphere at that time.-from Authors NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA.