Standardized Change in Monthly Surface Temperature Anomaly from Previous Month

Data:   CAMS surface air temperature anomaly  (deg. C) on a 2.0 x 2.0 deg. lat/lon grid Base Period for Climatology:  1971-2000 for land regions, 1974-present for ocean areas Data Source:  NCEP, Climate Prediction Center Description:  The change in surface air temperature anomaly from the previous month is computed and divided by the standard deviation of the change over the base period. Contours are drawn at intervals of 0.5 standard deviations starting at +/- 1 standard deviations where shading starts as well. "CAMS" is an acronym for the "Climate Anomaly Monitoring System" in use at the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) at the US National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP).