ATMOSPHERIC WATER-VAPOR TRANSPORT AND CONTINENTAL HYDROLOGY OVER THE AMERICA

The advective transport of atmospheric water vapor, its role in global hydrology, and the water balance of continental regions are discussed and explored. A data set consisting of 10 years of global wind and humidity observations that has been interpolated onto a regular grid is used to estimate atmospheric water vapor fluxes across the boundaries of selected continental regions. The flux of water vapor from the waters surrounding the Americas is computed and graphically represented as integrated normal flux across meridional and zonal segments. The total flux is decomposed into transport by mean motion and transport by correlated transient anomalies in the wind and humidity fields. Seasonal maps of these observations for the Americas reveal the underlying mechanisms and illustrate the characterizing features of the hydrologic cycle and continental water balance for this large land mass.