In 2005, there was a pronounced drought in the western Amazonian rainforest, which seems to have been associated with a period of unusually warm sea-surface temperatures in the North Atlantic. This event can be better understood with reference to the gradient in sea-surface temperatures across the equatorial Atlantic, of which the northern temperature anomalies are just a factor. By incorporating the effects of atmospheric aerosols into the model, the observed variations in this temperature gradient over the past century are reproduced, and it is predicted that the sea-surface conditions conductive to the droughts experienced in 2005 will become much more common.
- Peter M. Cox
- Phil P. Harris
- Carlos A. Nobre
