Abstract
Four years of satellite observations of the outgoing longwave radiation have been used to study the distribution of cloudiness and rainfall over the tropics. Annual and interannual variations are described, partially with the help of an eigenvector analysis. Interannual variations in the outgoing longwave radiation are particularly interesting since they tend to follow the Southern Oscillation. Consequently, it can be used to monitor changes in the large-scale circulation over the tropics.
