caa a22 4500 605474575 CHVBK 20210128100348.0 cr unu---uuuuu 210128e20150601xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s00382-015-2621-2 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s00382-015-2621-2 Daily near-surface large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns over the wider Caribbean [Elektronische Daten] [Xsitaaz Chadee, Ricardo Clarke] The day-to-day variability of the atmospheric circulation over the Caribbean region is investigated in this work through the extraction of frequently occurring atmospheric circulation types. A two-stage cluster analysis technique using Ward's agglomerative algorithm followed by the k-means algorithm was applied to daily circulation defined by the NCEP/DOE reanalysis wind components at the 850hPa level for the period 1979-2010. Seven atmospheric circulation types (CTs) were extracted. The daily circulation types are distinguished through the extension and location of the well-known quasi-stationary Atlantic and Pacific anticyclones. However, three of the circulation types show a third anticyclonic feature, a Gulf of Mexico anticyclone which is not observed on monthly scales because it is transient with a mean lifetime of 2-3days and rarely occurs in the July-September period. Other notable characteristics include the decrease in annual frequency of a circulation type defined by the transient Gulf of Mexico anticyclone, a neutral area over the Greater Antilles islands and weaker than average easterly winds. In addition, a second type with south-easterly winds throughout the Caribbean increases in annual frequency. This latter type also had events lasting as long as 85days. The monthly frequency of the CTs that prevail during the dry season is correlated with several Atlantic and Pacific based teleconnections. The resulting daily atmospheric circulation types in this work comprise the first atmospheric circulation catalogue, of many to come, for the Caribbean region and may be useful in statistical-dynamical downscaling applications to explain the variability of surface weather variables such as wind speeds. The Author(s), 2015 Atmospheric circulation types nationallicence Daily time scale nationallicence Cluster analysis nationallicence Caribbean nationallicence Gulf of Mexico anticyclone nationallicence Chadee Xsitaaz Environmental Physics Laboratory, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago aut Clarke Ricardo Environmental Physics Laboratory, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago aut Climate Dynamics Springer Berlin Heidelberg 44/11-12(2015-06-01), 2927-2946 0930-7575 44:11-12<2927 2015 44 382 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-015-2621-2 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-015-2621-2 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Chadee Xsitaaz Environmental Physics Laboratory, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Clarke Ricardo Environmental Physics Laboratory, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Climate Dynamics Springer Berlin Heidelberg 44/11-12(2015-06-01), 2927-2946 0930-7575 44:11-12<2927 2015 44 382