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South America

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Meteorology of the Southern Hemisphere

Part of the book series: Meteorological Monographs ((METEOR))

Abstract

Extending meridionally from 10°N to 60°S, South America (SA) presents features of tropical, subtropical, and extratropical weather and climate. This continent lies between the two large oceans, the Pacific and the Atlantic, and as such there is a great influence of these oceans on the meteorology of this landmass. The regional circulation characteristics over SA can only be appreciated by referring to the effects of these two oceans. An important and distinct geographical feature of the continent is the presence of a steep and narrow mountain range extending all the way from the northern tip to the southern tip along the west coast. Another important feature is the tropical Amazon jungle, occupying about 35% of the total continental area and 65% of the tropical area. With one of the world’s most humid climates, this tropical forest makes the continent very unique. This region also contains some of the infamous deserts and and regions, such as the Atacama desert in northern Chile and northeastern Brazil (NEB).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Previsão de Tempo e Estudos Climáticos, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais, São Paulo, Brazil

    Prakki Satyamurty & Carlos A. Nobre

  2. Department de Ciencias Atmosfericas, Instituto Astronomico e Geofisico, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil

    Pedro L. Silva Dias

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  1. Prakki Satyamurty
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  2. Carlos A. Nobre
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  3. Pedro L. Silva Dias
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Meteorology CRC, Monach University, 3168, Clayton, Vic, Australia

    David J. Karoly

  2. Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Purdue University, 1397 Civil Engineering Building, 47907-1397, West Lafayette, IN, USA

    Dayton G. Vincent

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© 1998 American Meteorological Society

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Satyamurty, P., Nobre, C.A., Silva Dias, P.L. (1998). South America. In: Karoly, D.J., Vincent, D.G. (eds) Meteorology of the Southern Hemisphere. Meteorological Monographs. American Meteorological Society, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-935704-10-2_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-935704-10-2_5

  • Publisher Name: American Meteorological Society, Boston, MA

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-935704-10-2

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