Theses and Dissertations
Issuing Body
Mississippi State University
Advisor
Wood, Kimberly M.
Committee Member
Mercer, Andrew E.
Committee Member
Rodgers, John C. III
Date of Degree
5-12-2023
Document Type
Graduate Thesis - Open Access
Major
Professional Meteorology/Climatology
Degree Name
Master of Science (M.S.)
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Department
Department of Geosciences
Abstract
San Salvador Island is a small Bahamian island located in the subtropics just north of the Tropic of Cancer. Due to its subtropical location, the island is influenced by both mid-latitude and tropical weather patterns. These weather patterns vary in scale from localized convective uplift to synoptic-scale systems. This study compares satellite-derived estimates of precipitation and rain gauge observations from June 2019 through September 2021 to evaluate the relationship between the two datasets. This study then uses the satellite-derived estimates of precipitation over a 20-year period to quantify annual and seasonal variability in precipitation on San Salvador. Corroborating past research, the island exhibits a bimodal pattern of precipitation during the year, but rainfall is highly variable across seasons and between years. Atmospheric fields from a reanalysis dataset indicate the North Atlantic subtropical high influences summertime rainfall, but a relationship between upper-level wind patterns and rainfall is less clear.
Recommended Citation
Wells, John Bryson, "Quantifying seasonal and annual precipitation variability on San Salvador Island, Bahamas using surface observations and satellite estimates." (2023). Theses and Dissertations. 5756.
https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td/5756
