The objective of the research proposed here is to describe the annual cycle of convective rainfall in the vicinity of tropical South America and to elucidate the factors which are responsible for producing it. Description of the annual cycle of convective patterns will be accomplished using outgoing infrared radiation measured from polar orbiting satellites for the period from 1979-1985. Accompanying changes in tropical circulation patterns will be derived from objective analyses of wind and other parameters at 6 levels in the vertical. Intraseasonal and interannual variations in the convection and atmospheric circulation over tropical South America during this 7 year period will also be investigated. A further objective of the proposed research is the development and use of a relatively simple numerical model for studying the dynamical response to convective heating sources of various shapes and locations relative to the equator. This work is important because it will enhance our understanding of the role of tropical continental convection in maintaining large scale atmospheric circulation.
