Data: Monthly and seasonal average outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) anomalies and climatology, in W/m2, on a 2.5 x 2.5 deg. lat/lon grid, and Reynolds and Smith Version 2 monthly and seasonal average sea surface temperature anomaly and climatology, in deg. C, on a 1.0 x 1.0 deg. lat/lon grid.
Base Period for OLR Climatology: 1979-present
Base Period for SST Climatology: 1971-2000
OLR Data Source: NCEP, Climate Prediction Center
SST Data Source: NCEP, Environmental Monitoring Center
Description: The plots above are Hovmoller diagrams of monthly outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) and sea surface temperature (SST) data averaged over 5 deg. S to 5 deg. N in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, from 120 deg. E to 80 deg. W. Top Left Plot: Monthly OLR and SST anomalies in the equatorial Pacific during the last 36 months. The green and brown shading indicate the monthly OLR anomaly from the 1979 to present climatology. The shading starts at -5 W/m2 and +5 W/m2. Red (blue) contours indicate monthly SST anomalies above (below) the 1971-2000 mean. The SST contour interval is 0.5 deg. C. Top Right Plot: Seasonal (three-month average) OLR and SST anomalies in the equatorial Pacific during the last 36 months. Shading and contours are the same as that in the Top Left Plot. Bottom Left Plot: Monthly climatological OLR (green and grey shading; 1979-present base period), and monthly climatological SST values (contours; 1971-2000 base period). Bottom Right Plot: Three-month average climatological OLR (green and grey shading; 1979-present base period), and three-month average climatological SST values (contours; 1971-2000 base period).
NCEP is an acronym for the US National Centers
for Environmental Prediction. |
