STUDYING THE MOVEMENT OF THE INTER TROPICAL CONVERGENCE ZONE (ITCZ) OVER AFRICA INVERNAL EQUINOX

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Master Student at the Astronomy and Meteorology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt

2 Astronomy and Meteorology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt

Abstract

In this study, we have tried to study the movement of the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) over Africa in April by analyzing Temperature, (U, V) Wind and rainfall, studying oscillation of the ITCZ and its relationship with temperature in the different seasons, within the range of Africa in a long period of time (statistical period of 60 years). This is the first long term (monthly, annually, and decadal) study of the ITCZ over Africa, In this study, not only the exact position of ITCZ over Africa is determined but also its position change in the period of 60 years, These results could be used in studying the impacts of ITCZ on climate variations due to changes of position and movement of ITCZ, over Africa also the direct impacts of this movement on sudden changes of seasons start and end of untimely rains. Through the study of the ITCZ movement over Africa in vernal equinox, we find that it is limited between latitudes 2o N to 18o N, and the speed and direction of wind coming from the Tropical Continental air mass (cT) masses in addition to temperature, as well speed and direction of wind coming from the Tropical Maritime air mass (mT) air masses, all of them effect on the movement of ITCZ to the north and south, in different decades, which led to displacement of rain belt over Africa from north to south and vice versa , in addition to change in the amount of Total rainfall over the Abyssinian Plateau during the different decades .

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