Climate characterization and temperature variability of the coastal plain of Nayarit and their teleconnection with ENSO and PDO

Abstract

To understand climate change, climate variability should be studied. Climate variability focuses on denoting those weather behaviors that are considered out of the ordinary and their relationship with the planet’s natural variation, such as El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) phenomena. The objective of this research was to know the climatic variability of a fragment of the coastal plain of the state of Nayarit, Mexico, a predominant area of mangrove cover, lagoons, and agricultural use. The investigation is presented in three parts: climatic characterization, variability analysis (annual, monthly, and interdecadal), and its teleconnection with ENSO and PDO indices. The interdecadal variation showed an increase in the minimum temperature, a decrease in the maximum temperature, and a decrease in the precipitation in the last two decades. A 30% correlation was found with ENSO (the highest correlations in the summer months) and 25% with PDO.