 |
 |
NOAA-NESDIS
Regional And Mesoscale Meteorology Team
Daily Satellite Discussion
Tuesday December 2, 1997 |
Figure 1
1996
(click to enlarge)
|
Figure 2
1997
(click to enlarge)
|
Archival of GOES-8 imagery in Costa Rica for satellite climatologies
started in mid-November 1996. Today we will compare the average
hourly visible imagery for the periods 15-30 November 1996 and 1997.
These images were derived by averaging the albedo at each pixel for
the given hour and time period. Figure 1 shows the 1315 UTC average
image from 15-30 November 1996 and Figure 2 shows the 1315 UTC average
image from 1997. For this period in November, these average images
show that 1996 was cloudier than in 1997 in the upper
right portion of the image in the Caribbean and along the western
coastal regions of Nicaragua, Costa Rica and into Panama. In 1996,
Hurricane Marco was roaming around the Caribbean during part of this
period and accounts for the increased cloudiness that we see.
November is considered to be part of the wet season. This year,
due to El Nino influences, the dry season is arriving earlier.
Decreased cloud cover and associated decreased rain on the western
coasts is a known feature of the dry season due to the absence of the
influence of the Intertropical Convergence Zone on the Pacific side
and stronger influence of the easterly trade winds. Loop through the
1315-2115 UTC images to see the difference between the 2 years.
1996 loop
1997 loop
|
Bernadette Connell
|