Friday, October 12, 2012

Documented Decrease in Frequency of Hawaii's Northeast Trade Winds


ScienceDaily (Oct. 11, 2012) — Scientists at University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM) have observed a decrease in the frequency of northeast trade winds and an increase in eastern trade winds over the past nearly four decades, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research. For example, northeast trade wind days, which occurred 291 days per year 37 years ago at the Honolulu International Airport, now only occur 210 days per year.
Jessica Garza, a Meteorology Graduate Assistant at the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) at UHM; Pao-Shin Chu, Meteorology Professor and Head of the Hawaii State Climate Office; Chase Norton; and Thomas Schroeder analyzed 37 years of wind speed and direction, and sea level pressure data from land-based weather stations, buoys and reanalysis data.
Clouds and rain, as seen here over the island of Oahu, Hawaii, are influenced by trade wind patterns. (Credit: Chris Ostrander - University of Hawaii at Manoa, SOEST)


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