Step increase in eastern U.S. precipitation linked to Indian Ocean warming
Geophysical Research Letters
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Abstract
A step increase in annual precipitation over the eastern U.S. in the early 1970’s commenced five decades of invigorated hydroclimate, with ongoing impacts on streamflow and water resources. Despite its far-reaching impacts, the dynamical origin of this change is unknown. Here, analyses of a century of atmospheric and oceanic data trace the dynamics to changes in the Indian Ocean. Spring and fall precipitation explain more than half the annual eastern-U.S. precipitation variance over the century, and changes in fall are predominantly responsible for the step increase. The driving mechanism is emergence of a pan-Pacific atmospheric wave emanating from deep convection over the warming Indian Ocean. Documentation of this fall teleconnection draws attention to projected anthropogenic increases in tropical oceanic heat content, and their potential impacts on hydroclimate of the midlatitudes.
Suggested Citation
Strong, C., McCabe, G.J., and Weech, A., 2021, Step increase in eastern U.S. precipitation linked to Indian Ocean warming: Geophysical Research Letters, v. 47, no. 17, e2020GL088911; 10 p., https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL088911.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Step increase in eastern U.S. precipitation linked to Indian Ocean warming |
| Series title | Geophysical Research Letters |
| DOI | 10.1029/2020GL088911 |
| Volume | 47 |
| Issue | 17 |
| Publication Date | August 27, 2020 |
| Year Published | 2021 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | American Geophysical Union |
| Contributing office(s) | WMA - Integrated Modeling and Prediction Division |
| Description | e2020GL088911; 10 p. |
| Other Geospatial | Indian Ocean |