Pacific and Atlantic Ocean influences on multidecadal drought frequency in the United States
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
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Abstract
More than half (52%) of the spatial and temporal variance in multidecadal drought frequency over the conterminous United States is attributable to the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO). An additional 22% of the variance in drought frequency is related to a complex spatial pattern of positive and negative trends in drought occurrence possibly related to increasing Northern Hemisphere temperatures or some other unidirectional climate trend. Recent droughts with broad impacts over the conterminous U.S. (1996, 1999-2002) were associated with North Atlantic warming (positive AMO) and north-eastern and tropical Pacific cooling (negative PDO). Much of the long-term predictability of drought frequency may reside in the multidecadal behavior of the North Atlantic Ocean. Should the current positive AMO (warm North Atlantic) conditions persist into the upcoming decade, we suggest two possible drought scenarios that resemble the continental-scale patterns of the 1930s (positive PDO) and 1950s (negative PDO) drought.
Suggested Citation
McCabe, G., Palecki, M., Betancourt, J., 2004, Pacific and Atlantic Ocean influences on multidecadal drought frequency in the United States: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, v. 101, no. 12, p. 4136-4141, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0306738101.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Pacific and Atlantic Ocean influences on multidecadal drought frequency in the United States |
| Series title | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |
| DOI | 10.1073/pnas.0306738101 |
| Volume | 101 |
| Issue | 12 |
| Publication Date | March 11, 2004 |
| Year Published | 2004 |
| Language | English |
| Larger Work Type | Article |
| Larger Work Subtype | Journal Article |
| Larger Work Title | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |
| First page | 4136 |
| Last page | 4141 |