The investigators will analyze geostationary and polar orbiting satellite data as well as climatological station data for the period 1976-1985 examine the causes and consequences of precipitation regimes in Venezuela. By determining why the seasonal march of precipitation in Venezuela differs sharply from that in other tropical regions, especially monsoon areas, the project will increase our understanding of the climatology of a region with a unique precipitation regime, of its possible teleconnections with events and processes outside the study region, and our knowledge of tropical climatology more generally. The results of the project will also serve as a benchmark for future studies of topographic effects on climate in the study area and for other geoecological and paleoclimatic investigations.
