Multiannual-to-decadal variability of the American monsoons: present climate and CMIP5 projections

The presence of a monsoonal type of circulation involving intense convective activity and heavy precipitation is the dominant climatic feature in the tropical Americas during the respective summer seasons. The North American monsoon system (NAMS) and the South American monsoon system (SAMS) are often interpreted as the two extremes of the seasonal cycle of heat, moisture transport and precipitation over the Americas