Rainfall-related natural disasters in the Northeast of Brazil as a response to ocean-atmosphere interaction

The objective of this work is to investigate the interaction between the climate indices precipitation concentration degree (PCD), precipitation concentration period (PCP), and oceanic patterns associated with drought disasters in the Northeast of Brazil (NEB). The average values of drought disasters were situated at the semi-arid zone, while the hotspots between 95 and 99% of significance were more centralized, particularly in the states of Ceara, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraiba, and Pernambuco, where significant areas were located. The PCD patterns showed that precipitation was concentrated in the north of this region and the wettest quarter happened from February to April, in accordance with PCP patterns. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) A showed evidence of the variability of PDC and PCP in relation to the well-known variability modes of the oceans. However, only two areas of NEB presented statistical significance.