A new interhemispheric teleconnection increases predictability of winter precipitation in southwestern US.

ABSTRACT: Reliable prediction of seasonal precipitation in the southwestern US (SWUS) remains a challenge with significant implications for the economy, water security and ecosystem management of the region. Winter precipitation in the SWUS has been linked to several climate modes, including the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), with limited predictive ability. Here we report evidence that late-summer sea surface temperature and geopotential height anomalies close to New Zealand exhibit higher correlation with SWUS winter precipitation than ENSO, enhancing the potential for earlier and more accurate prediction. The teleconnection depends on a western Pacific ocean-atmosphere pathway, whereby sea surface temperature anomalies propagate from the southern to the northern hemisphere during boreal sum

SUBMITTER: Mamalakis A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5997984 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature