Role of Heating Anomalies in African climate variability

The Unified Model (HadAM3) has been used in numerous idealised experiments investigating
rainfall variability in Africa. Each of the anomalous heating experiments shown below is
based on empirical austral summer rainfall-sea surface temperature relationships
for southern Africa.

The experiments permit investigation of the competing roles of the ocean basins in climate
predictability assessments. Pacific fields kindly provided by Hilary Spencer. Experiments
run by Anthony Preston and Richard Washington.

Wet Conditions
Please click on the following thumbnail images to see larger JPEG versions.
Pacific Ocean only La Nina forcing
Forcing	Experiment Minus Control
Combined Indian and Pacific Ocean La Nina forcing
Forcing	Experiment Minus Control
Combined Indian and Pacific Ocean La Nina forcing 2
Forcing	Experiment Minus Control
SST Anomaly - Experiment 2
Forcing	Experiment Minus Control
SST Anomaly - Experiment 3
Forcing	Experiment Minus Control
SST Anomaly - Experiment 7
Forcing	Experiment Minus Control
SST Anomaly - Experiment 8
Forcing	Experiment Minus Control

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Dry Conditions
Please click on the following thumbnail images to see larger JPEG versions.
Pacific Ocean only El Nino forcing
Forcing	Experiment Minus Control
Combined Indian and Pacific Ocean El Nino forcing
Forcing	Experiment Minus Control
Combined Indian and Pacific Ocean El Nino forcing 2
Forcing	Experiment Minus Control
SST Anomaly - Experiment 11
Forcing	Experiment Minus Control
SST Anomaly - Experiment 4
Forcing	Experiment Minus Control
SST Anomaly - Experiment 12
Forcing	Experiment Minus Control

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Key to circulation anomaly maps above

Only Significant values at 5% level are shown
Vectors - 700hPa qflux (moisture flux)
Shading - 700hPa q (specific humidity)
(Red = Negative and Blue = Positive)
Grey contours - SLP

For more information contact: Dr Richard Washington