Atmospheric Rivers Impacting Northern California Exhibit a Quasi-Decadal Frequency

Stuivenvolt‐Allen, Jacob; Wang, Shih‐Yu Simon; Johnson, Zachary; Chikamoto, Yoshimitsu

doi:10.1029/2020jd034196

Title: Atmospheric Rivers Impacting Northern California Exhibit a Quasi-Decadal Frequency

Journal Article · 26 July 2021 · Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2020jd034196 · OSTI ID:1852344

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Utah State Univ., Logan, UT (United States). Dept. of Plants, Soils, and Climate; Utah State Univ., Logan, UT (United States)
Utah State Univ., Logan, UT (United States). Dept. of Plants, Soils, and Climate; National Chung Hsing Univ., Taichung (Taiwan). IBPA College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Utah State Univ., Logan, UT (United States). Dept. of Plants, Soils, and Climate

Periods of water surplus and deficit in Northern California follow a pronounced quasi-decadal cycle. This cycle is largely driven by the frequency of atmospheric rivers (ARs), affecting the region’s wet and dry periods. Our analyses demonstrate that the quasi-decadal cycle of AR frequency relies on moisture transport associated with the position and intensity of the Aleutian Low. In observations, the Aleutian Low is shown to covary with tropical Pacific sea surface temperature anomalies. A modeling experiment, which incorporates ocean observations from the equatorial Pacific into the fully coupled climate model, provides support that the quasi-decadal cycle of the Aleutian Low is forced by the tropical Pacific. Subsequently, the tropical Pacific modulates the wet season moisture transport toward California on decadal time scales, affecting AR frequency. These results provide metrics for improving interannual-to-decadal prediction of AR activity, which drives hydrological cycles in Northern California.

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Research Organization:: Univ. of California, Davis, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: National Science Foundation (NSF); USDOE; USDOE Office of Science (SC)

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0016605

OSTI ID:: 1852344

Journal Information:: Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres Journal Issue: 15 Vol. 126; ISSN 2169-897X

Publisher:: American Geophysical UnionCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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