Contrasting North–South changes in Amazon wet-day and dry-day frequency and related atmospheric features (1981–2017)

International audienceThis study provides an updated analysis of the evolution of seasonal rainfall intensity in the Amazon basin, considering the 1981-2017 period and based on HOP (interpolated HYBAM observed precipitation) and CHIRPS (The Climate Hazards Group Infrared Precipitation with Stations) rainfall data sets. Dry and wet day frequencies as well as extreme percentiles are used in this analysis, producing the same results. Dry-day frequency (DDF) significantly increases in the Southern Amazon (p<0.01), particularly during September-November (SON) in the Bolivian Amazon, central Peruvian Amazon and far southern Brazilian Amazon. Consistently, total rainfall in the southern Amazon during SON also shows a significant diminution (p<0.05), estimated at 18%. The increase in SON DDF in the southern Amazon is related to a warming of the northern tropical Atlantic Ocean and a weakening of water vapour flux from the tropical Atlantic Ocean. The increase in DDF in the southern Amazon is related to enhanced wind subsidence (ascendance) over the 10 degrees S-20 degrees S (5 degrees S-5 degrees N) region and to a deficit (excess) of specific humidity at 1000-300hPa south of 10 degrees S (north of the 5 degrees S), which suggest a reduction of deep convection over southern Amazonia. Subsidence over the southern Amazon shows a significant trend (p<0.01), which can explain the significant increase in DDF. Wet-day frequency (WDF) significantly increases in the northern Amazon, particularly during the March-May (MAM) period (p<0.01), producing an estimated rainfall increase during MAM of 17% (p<0.01) between 1981 and 2017. Significant changes in both WDF and rainfall in northern Amazon have been detected in 1998 (p