North-south dipole in winter hydroclimate in the western United States during the last deglaciation
Links
- More information: Publisher Index Page (via DOI)
- Open Access Version: Publisher Index Page
- Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core
Abstract
During the termination of the last glacial period the western U.S. experienced exceptionally wet conditions, driven by changes in location and strength of the mid-latitude winter storm track. The distribution of modern winter precipitation is frequently characterized by a north-south wet/dry dipole pattern, controlled by interaction of the storm track with ocean-atmosphere conditions over the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Here we show that a dipole pattern of similar geographic extent persisted and switched sign during millennial-scale abrupt climate changes of the last deglaciation, based on a new lake level reconstruction for pluvial Lake Chewaucan (northwestern U.S.), and a compilation of regional paleoclimate records. This suggests the dipole pattern is robust, and one mode may be favored for centuries, thereby creating persistent contrasting wet/dry conditions across the western U.S. The TraCE-21k climate model simulation shows an equatorward enhancement of winter storm track activity in the northeastern Pacific, favoring wet conditions in southwestern U.S. during the second half of Heinrich Stadial 1 (16.1–14.6 ka) and consistent with paleoclimate evidence. During the Bølling/Allerød (14.6–12.8 ka), the northeastern Pacific storm track contracted poleward, consistent with wetter conditions concentrated poleward toward the northwest U.S.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | North-south dipole in winter hydroclimate in the western United States during the last deglaciation |
| Series title | Scientific Reports |
| DOI | 10.1038/s41598-019-41197-y |
| Volume | 9 |
| Year Published | 2019 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Nature |
| Contributing office(s) | Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center |
| Description | Article number: 4826, 12 p. |
| First page | 1 |
| Last page | 12 |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |