Atmospheric Rivers in the Eastern and Midwestern United States Associated With Baroclinic Waves

O’Brien, Travis A.; Loring, Burlen; Dufek, Amanda Sabatini; Islam, Mohammad Rubaiat; Kamnani, Diya; Quagraine, Kwesi Twentwewa; Kirkpatrick, Cody

doi:10.1029/2023gl107236

Atmospheric Rivers in the Eastern and Midwestern United States Associated With Baroclinic Waves

Journal Article · Sat Apr 13 00:00:00 EDT 2024 · Geophysical Research Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/2023gl107236· OSTI ID:2340156

^[1]; ^[2]; ^[3]; ^[4]; ^[5]; ^[5]; Kirkpatrick, Cody ^[5]

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Indiana University Bloomington IN USA; Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division Lawrence Berkeley National Lab Berkeley CA USA
Computational Research Division Lawrence Berkeley National Lab Berkeley CA USA; Now at NVIDIA Corporation Santa Clara CA USA
National Energy Research Supercomputing Center Lawrence Berkeley National Lab Berkeley CA USA
Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Indiana University Bloomington IN USA; Now at National Center for Atmospheric Research, Mesoscale and Microscale Meteorology Division Boulder CO USA
Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Indiana University Bloomington IN USA

Atmospheric rivers (ARs) significantly impact the hydrological cycle and associated extremes in western continental regions. Recent studies suggest ARs also influence water resources and extremes in continental interiors. AR detection tools indicate that AR conditions are relatively frequent in areas east of the Rocky Mountains. The origin of these ARs, whether from synoptic-scale waves or mesoscale processes, is unclear. This study uses meteorological composite maps and transects of AR conditions during the four seasons. The analysis reveals that ARs east of the Rockies are associated with long-wave, baroclinic Rossby waves. This result demonstrates that eastern North American ARs are dynamically similar to their western coastal counterparts, though mechanisms for vertical moisture flux differ between the two. These findings provide a foundation for understanding future climate change and ARs in this region and offer new methods for evaluating climate model simulations.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Indiana Univ., Bloomington, IN (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER). Earth And Environmental Systems Science (EESS)

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0023519; AC02-05CH11231

OSTI ID:: 2340156

Journal Information:: Geophysical Research Letters, Journal Name: Geophysical Research Letters Journal Issue: 8 Vol. 51; ISSN 0094-8276

Publisher:: American Geophysical Union (AGU)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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