Convectively Coupled Equatorial Kelvin Waves and Their Relationship with Easterly Waves over the Intra Americas Seas and Eastern Pacific.

Convectively coupled equatorial Kelvin waves (CCEKWs) are eastward propagating features of the tropical atmosphere over the northern hemisphere. Several studies over Africa have shown that CCEKWs can provide a suitable environment for genesis of African Easterly Waves. Further research on CCEKWs has identified their modulation of tropical cyclogenesis, however, over the tropical eastern Pacific, a pre-existing Easterly Wave must also be present for tropical cyclogenesis to occur, leaving aside the interaction of CCEKWs on the genesis of EWs over this basin.

This study addresses the problem of the role of CCEKWs on EWs over the Intra Americas Seas (IAS) and the tropical eastern Pacific. For this objective, regression analysis of CCEKWs show their impacts on dynamical and thermodynamical environment over the region. After this, a methodology for finding EWs generated during the passage of CCEKWs is formulated based on convective and dynamical features of both modes of variability. Results show that the thermodynamical environment is not affected, while the dynamical fields show an impact of the westerlies associated to the CCEKWs on EWs. Finally, further analysis show that the Kelvin waves associated with genesis of EWs are modulated by the presence of the MJO on the eastern Pacific.