Validation of trends in the surface wind field over the Mozambique channel

The evolution of the atmospheric circulation over the Mozambique Channel over 1950–1987 is examined, using ship and land‐based pressure gradients as consistency checks on the surface wind field over the ocean. It is found that in the austral summer, when the Inter‐Tropical Convergence Zone crosses the region, the winds show little evidence of change. However, in the winter the prevailing southerly winds in the north of the channel show evidence in both pressure records and wind data of a significant strengthening.