Tropical systems from the southwest Indian Ocean making landfall over the Limpopo River Basin, southern Africa : a historical perspective

dc.contributor.authorMalherbe, Johan B.
dc.contributor.authorEngelbrecht, Francois Alwyn
dc.contributor.authorLandman, Willem Adolf
dc.contributor.authorEngelbrecht, Christina Johanna
dc.date.accessioned2012-09-19T06:50:31Z
dc.date.available2012-09-19T06:50:31Z
dc.date.issued2012-06
dc.description.abstractThe study provides perspective on the contribution of landfalling tropical systems (cyclones, depressions, storms and lows) from the southwest Indian Ocean (SWIO) towards rainfall over the eastern interior of southern Africa, over the period 1948-2008. Although these systems contribute to < 10% of the annual rainfall occurring over the region, their relative contribution to local and widespread heavy rainfall events is shown to be highly significant. About 50% of widespread heavy rainfall events over northeastern South Africa are caused by landfalling tropical systems. Fourier analysis performed on the time series of rainfall occurring over notheastern South Africa in association with these systems reveals the existence of a quasi-18-year cycle. The cycle coincides with the well-known quasi-18-year Dyer-Tyson cycle in rainfall over the summer rainfall region of South Africa. These results suggest that atmospheric and surface conditions leading to wet phases of the Dyer-Tyson cycle also favour the landfall and subsequent westward movement of tropical systems from the SWIO over southern Africa – and their eventual contribution to rainfall over northeastern South Africa and southern Zimbabwe.en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipWater Research Commission, South Africa (WRC Project No. K5/1847).en_US
dc.description.urihttp://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/4735/homeen_US
dc.identifier.citationMalherbe, J, Engelbrecht, FA, Landman, WA & Engelbrecht, CJ 2012, 'Tropical systems from the southwest Indian Ocean making landfall over the Limpopo River Basin, southern Africa : a historical perspective', International Journal of Climatology, vol. 32, no. 7, pp. 1018-1032.en_US
dc.identifier.issn0899-8418 (print)
dc.identifier.issn1097-0088 (online)
dc.identifier.other10.1002/joc.2320
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/19809
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherWileyen_US
dc.rightsWiley. This is the pre-peer reviewed version of the following article:Malherbe, J, Engelbrecht, FA, Landman, WA & Engelbrecht, CJ 2012, 'Tropical systems from the southewest Indian Ocean making landfall over the Limpopo River Basin, southern Africa : a historical perspective', International Journal of Climatology, vol. 32, no. 7, pp. 1018-1032, which has been published in final form at http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/4735/home.en_US
dc.subjectTropical cycloneen_US
dc.subjectLandfallen_US
dc.subjectRainfall cyclicityen_US
dc.subjectSouthern Africaen_US
dc.subjectFourier analysisen_US
dc.subjectClosed-low trackingen_US
dc.titleTropical systems from the southwest Indian Ocean making landfall over the Limpopo River Basin, southern Africa : a historical perspectiveen_US
dc.typePostprint Articleen_US

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