| Landfalling Atmospheric Rivers, the Sierra Barrier Jet, and Extreme Daily Precipitation in Northern California's Upper Sacramento River Watershed - :14597 | Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR)
Stacks Logo
Advanced Search
Select up to three search categories and corresponding keywords using the fields to the right. Refer to the Help section for more detailed instructions.
 
 
Help
Clear All Simple Search
Advanced Search
Landfalling Atmospheric Rivers, the Sierra Barrier Jet, and Extreme Daily Precipitation in Northern California's Upper Sacramento River Watershed
  • Published Date:
    2016
  • Source:
    Journal of Hydrometeorology, 17(7), 1905-1914.
Filetype[PDF-3.19 MB]


Details:
  • DOI:
    http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/jhm-d-15-0167.1
  • Personal Authors:
  • Series:
    CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
  • Description:
    The upper Sacramento River watershed is vital to California's water supply and is susceptible to major floods. Orographic precipitation in this complex terrain involves both atmospheric rivers (ARs) and the Sierra barrier jet (SBJ). The south-southeasterly SBJ induces orographic precipitation along south-facing slopes in the Mt. Shasta-Trinity Alps, whereas landfalling ARs ascend up and over the statically stable SBJ and induce orographic precipitation along west-facing slopes in the northern Sierra Nevada. This paper explores the occurrence of extreme daily precipitation (EDP) in this region in association with landfalling ARs and the SBJ. The 50 wettest days (i.e., days with EDP) for water years (WYs) 2002-11 based on the average of daily precipitation from eight rain gauges known as the Northern Sierra 8-Station Index (NS8I) are compared to dates from an SSM/I satellite-based landfalling AR-detection method and dates with SBJ events identified from nearby wind profiler data. These 50 days with EDP accounted for 20% of all precipitation during the 10-WY period, or 5 days with EDP per year on average account for one-fifth of WY precipitation. In summary, 46 of 50 (92%) days with EDP are associated with landfalling ARs on either the day before or the day of precipitation, whereas 45 of 50 (90%) days with EDP are associated with SBJ conditions on the day of EDP. Forty-one of 50 (82%) days with EDP are associated with both a landfalling AR and an SBJ. The top 10 days with EDP were all associated with both a landfalling AR and an SBJ.

  • Document Type:
    Journal Article
  • Collection(s):
    Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR)
    1. The relationships between insoluble precipitation residues, clouds, and precipitation over California's southern Sierra Nevada during winter storms
      Personal Author:
      Creamean, J. M.; White, A. B.; Minnis, P.; Palikonda, R.; Spangenberg, D. A.; Prather, K. A.;
      Published:
      2016
      Source:
      Atmospheric Environment, 140, 298-310.
      Series:
      CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
      Description:
      Ice formation in orographic mixed -phase clouds can enhance precipitation and depends on the type of aerosols that serve as ice nucleating particles (INPs). The resulting precipitation from these clouds is a viable source of water, especially for reg...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 2.82 MB]
    2. The Role of Springtime Arctic Clouds in Determining Autumn Sea Ice Extent
      Personal Author:
      Cox, C. J.; Uttal, T.; Long, C. N.; Shupe, M. D.; Stone, R. S.; Starkweather, S.;
      Published:
      2016
      Source:
      Journal of Climate, 29(18), 6581-6596.
      Series:
      CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
      Description:
      Recent studies suggest that the atmosphere conditions arctic sea ice properties in spring in a way that may be an important factor in predetermining autumn sea ice concentrations. Here, the role of clouds in this system is analyzed using surface-base...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 2.18 MB]
    3. Localizing the impact of satellite radiance observations using a global group ensemble filter
      Personal Author:
      Lei, L. L.; Anderson, J. L.; Whitaker, J. S.;
      Published:
      2016
      Source:
      Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, 8(2), 719-734.
      Series:
      CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
      Description:
      Assimilation of satellite radiances has been proven to have positive impacts on the forecast skill, especially for regions with sparse conventional observations. Localization is an essential component to effectively assimilate satellite radiances in ...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 2.20 MB]
    4. Does ocean coupling matter for the northern extratropical response to projected Arctic sea ice loss?
      Personal Author:
      Deser, C.; Sun, L. T.; Tomas, R. A.; Screen, J.;
      Published:
      2016
      Source:
      Geophysical Research Letters, 43(5), 2149-2157.
      Series:
      CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
      Description:
      The question of whether ocean coupling matters for the extratropical Northern Hemisphere atmospheric response to projected late 21st century Arctic sea ice loss is addressed using a series of experiments with Community Climate System Model version 4 ...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 5.79 MB]
    5. A multi-decade record of high-quality fCO(2) data in version 3 of the Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas (SOCAT)
      Personal Author:
      Bakker, D. C. E.; Pfeil, B.; Landa, C. S.; Metzl, N.; O'Brien, K. M.; Olsen, A.; Smith, K.; Cosca, C.; Harasawa, S.; Jones, S. D.; Nakaoka, S.; Nojiri, Y.; Schuster, U.; Steinhoff, T.; Sweeney, C.; Takahashi, T.; Tilbrook, B.; Wada, C.; Wanninkhof, R.; Alin, S. R.; Balestrini, C. F.; Barbero, L.; Bates, N. R.; Bianchi, A. A.; Bonou, F.; Boutin, J.; Bozec, Y.; Burger, E. F.; Cai, W. J.; Castle, R. D.; Chen, L. Q.; Chierici, M.; Currie, K.; Evans, W.; Featherstone, C.; Feely, R. A.; Fransson, A.; Goyet, C.; Greenwood, N.; Gregor, L.; Hankin, S.; Hardman-Mountford, N. J.; Harlay, J.; Hauck, J.; Hoppema, M.; Humphreys, M. P.; Hunt, C.; Huss, B.; Ibanhez, J. S. P.; Johannessen, T.; Keeling, R.; Kitidis, V.; Kortzinger, A.; Kozyr, A.; Krasakopoulou, E.; Kuwata, A.; Landschutzer, P.; Lauvset, S. K.; Lefevre, N.; Lo Monaco, C.; Manke, A.; Mathis, J. T.; Merlivat, L.; Millero, F. J.; Monteiro, P. M. S.; Munro, D. R.; Murata, A.; Newberger, T.; Omar, A. M.; Ono, T.; Paterson, K.; Pearce, D.; Pierrot, D.; Robbins, L. L.; Saito, S.; Salisbury, J.; Schlitzer, R.; Schneider, B.; Schweitzer, R.; Sieger, R.; Skjelvan, I.; Sullivan, K. F.; Sutherland, S. C.; Sutton, A. J.; Tadokoro, K.; Telszewski, M.; Tuma, M.; van Heuven, S.; Vandemark, D.; Ward, B.; Watson, A. J.; Xu, S. Q.;
      Published:
      2016
      Source:
      Earth System Science Data, 8(2), 383-413.
      Series:
      CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
      Description:
      The Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas (SOCAT) is a synthesis of quality-controlled fCO(2) (fugacity of carbon dioxide) values for the global surface oceans and coastal seas with regular updates. Version 3 of SOCAT has 14.7 million fCO(2) values from 3646 data ...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 1.46 MB]
    6. Colorado air quality impacted by long-range-transported aerosol: a set of case studies during the 2015 Pacific Northwest fires
      Personal Author:
      Creamean, J. M.; Neiman, P. J.; Coleman, T.; Senff, C. J.; Kirgis, G.; Alvarez, R. J.; Yamamoto, A.;
      Published:
      2016
      Source:
      Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 16(18), 12329-12345.
      Series:
      CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
      Description:
      Biomass burning plumes containing aerosols from forest fires can be transported long distances, which can ultimately impact climate and air quality in regions far from the source. Interestingly, these fires can inject aerosols other than smoke into t...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 17.19 MB]
    7. Variability in projected elevation dependent warming in boreal midlatitude winter in CMIP5 climate models and its potential drivers
      Personal Author:
      Rangwala, I.; Sinsky, E.; Miller, J. R.;
      Published:
      2016
      Source:
      Climate Dynamics, 46(7-8), 2115-2122.
      Series:
      CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
      Description:
      The future rate of climate change in mountains has many potential human impacts, including those related to water resources, ecosystem services, and recreation. Analysis of the ensemble mean response of CMIP5 global climate models (GCMs) shows amplif...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 1.52 MB]
    8. Mountain waves and orographic precipitation in a northern Colorado winter storm
      Mountain waves and orographic precipitation in a northern Colorado winter storm
      Personal Author:
      Kingsmill, D. E.; Persson, P. O. G.; Haimov, S.; Shupe, M. D.;
      Published:
      2016
      Source:
      Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 142(695), 836-853.
      Series:
      CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
      Description:
      This study characterizes mountain waves and orographic precipitation associated with a winter storm passing over the approximate to 3.5 km above mean sea level (MSL) Park Range of northern Colorado on 15 December 2010. Observations from an airborne v...
      File Type:
      Filetype[BIN - 53.70 KB]
    9. A Five-Century Reconstruction of Hawaiian Islands Winter Rainfall
      Personal Author:
      Diaz, H. F.; Wahl, E. R.; Zorita, E.; Giambelluca, T. W.; Eischeid, J. K.;
      Published:
      2016
      Source:
      Journal of Climate, 29(15), 5661-5674.
      Series:
      CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
      Description:
      Few if any high-resolution (annually resolved) paleoclimate records are available for the Hawaiian Islands prior to; similar to 1850 CE, after which some instrumental records start to become available. This paper shows how atmospheric teleconnection ...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 2.47 MB]
    10. On the climate impacts of atolls in the central equatorial Pacific
      Personal Author:
      Karnauskas, K. B.; Johnson, G. C.; Murtugudde, R.;
      Published:
      2017
      Source:
      International Journal of Climatology, 37(1), 197-203.
      Series:
      CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 5.86 MB]
    11. Toward autonomous surface-based infrared remote sensing of polar clouds: cloud-height retrievals
      Personal Author:
      Rowe, P. M.; Cox, C. J.; Walden, V.;
      Published:
      2016
      Source:
      Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 9(8), 3641-3659.
      Series:
      CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
      Description:
      Polar regions are characterized by their remoteness, making measurements challenging, but an improved knowledge of clouds and radiation is necessary to understand polar climate change. Infrared radiance spectrometers can operate continuously from the...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 796.95 KB]
    12. Observations of the Structure and Evolution of Hurricane Edouard (2014) during Intensity Change. Part I: Relationship between the Thermodynamic Structure and Precipitation
      Personal Author:
      Zawislak, J.; Jiang, H. Y.; Alvey, G. R.; Zipser, E. J.; Rogers, R. F.; Zhang, J. A.; Stevenson, S. N.;
      Published:
      2016
      Source:
      Monthly Weather Review, 144(9), 3333-3354.
      Series:
      CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
      Description:
      The structural evolution of the inner core and near environment throughout the life cycle of Hurricane Edouard (2014) is examined using a synthesis of airborne and satellite measurements. This study specifically focuses on the precipitation evolution...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 3.96 MB]
    13. The POWER Experiment: Impact of Assimilation of a Network of Coastal Wind Profiling Radars on Simulating Offshore Winds in and above the Wind Turbine Layer
      Personal Author:
      Djalalova, I. V.; Olson, J.; Carley, J. R.; Bianco, L.; Wilczak, J. M.; Pichugina, Y.; Banta, R.; Marquis, M.; Cline, J.;
      Published:
      2016
      Source:
      Weather and Forecasting, 31(4), 1071-1091.
      Series:
      CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
      Description:
      During the summer of 2004 a network of 11 wind profiling radars (WPRs) was deployed in New England as part of the New England Air Quality Study (NEAQS). Observations from this dataset are used to determine their impact on numerical weather prediction...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 6.12 MB]
    14. The Sensitivity of Hurricane Irene to Aerosols and Ocean Coupling: Simulations with WRF Spectral Bin Microphysics
      The Sensitivity of Hurricane Irene to Aerosols and Ocean Coupling: Simulations with WRF Spectral Bin Microphysics
      Personal Author:
      Lynn, B. H.; Khain, A. P.; Bao, J. W.; Michelson, S. A.; Yuan, T.; Kelman, G.; Rosenfeld, D.; Shpund, J.; Benmoshe, N.;
      Published:
      2016
      Source:
      Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 73(2), 467-486.
      Series:
      CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
      Description:
      Hurricane Irene (2011) moved northward along the eastern coast of the United States and was expected to cause severe wind and flood damage. However, the hurricane weakened much faster than was predicted. Moreover, the minimum pressure in Irene occurr...
      File Type:
      Filetype[BIN - 58.60 KB]
    15. The Climate Change Web Portal: A System to Access and Display Climate and Earth System Model Output from the CMIP5 Archive
      Personal Author:
      Scott, J. D.; Alexander, M. A.; Murray, D. R.; Swales, D.; Eischeid, J.;
      Published:
      2016
      Source:
      Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 97(4), 523-530.
      Series:
      CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 3.44 MB]
    16. Impacts of Interactive Stratospheric Chemistry on Antarctic and Southern Ocean Climate Change in the Goddard Earth Observing System, Version 5 (GEOS-5)
      Impacts of Interactive Stratospheric Chemistry on Antarctic and Southern Ocean Climate Change in the Goddard Earth Observing System, Version 5 (GEOS-5)
      Personal Author:
      Li, F.; Vikhliaev, Y. V.; Newman, P. A.; Pawson, S.; Perlwitz, J.; Waugh, D. W.; Douglass, A. R.;
      Published:
      2016
      Source:
      Journal of Climate, 29(9), 3199-3218.
      Series:
      CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
      Description:
      Stratospheric ozone depletion plays a major role in driving climate change in the Southern Hemisphere. To date, many climate models prescribe the stratospheric ozone layer's evolution using monthly and zonally averaged ozone fields. However, the pres...
      File Type:
      Filetype[BIN - 58.60 KB]
    17. The Physics of Drought in the US Central Great Plains
      The Physics of Drought in the US Central Great Plains
      Personal Author:
      Livneh, B.; Hoerling, M. P.;
      Published:
      2016
      Source:
      Journal of Climate, 29(18), 6783-6804.
      Series:
      CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
      Description:
      The semiarid U.S. Great Plains is prone to severe droughts having major consequences for agricultural production, livestock health, and river navigation. The recent 2012 event was accompanied by record deficits in precipitation and high temperatures ...
      File Type:
      Filetype[BIN - 58.60 KB]
    18. Future cost-competitive electricity systems and their impact on US CO2 emissions
      Future cost-competitive electricity systems and their impact on US CO2 emissions
      Personal Author:
      MacDonald, A. E.; Clack, C. T. M.; Alexander, A.; Dunbar, A.; Wilczak, J.; Xie, Y. F.;
      Published:
      2016
      Source:
      Nature Climate Change, 6(5), 526-531.
      Series:
      CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
      Description:
      Carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation are a major cause of anthropogenic climate change. The deployment of wind and solar power reduces these emissions, but is subject to the variability of the weather. In the present study, we calcula...
    19. Anomalous mid-twentieth century atmospheric circulation change over the South Atlantic compared to the last 6000 years
      Personal Author:
      Turney, C. S. M.; Jones, R. T.; Lister, D.; Jones, P.; Williams, A. N.; Hogg, A.; Thomas, Z. A.; Compo, G. P.; Yin, X. G.; Fogwill, C. J.; Palmer, J.; Colwell, S.; Allan, R.; Visbeck, M.;
      Published:
      2016
      Source:
      Environmental Research Letters, 11(6), 064009.
      Series:
      CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
      Description:
      Determining the timing and impact of anthropogenic climate change in data-sparse regions is a considerable challenge. Arguably, nowhere is this more difficult than the Antarctic Peninsula and the subantarctic South Atlantic where observational record...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 2.73 MB]
    20. International Arctic Systems for Observing the Atmosphere: An International Polar Year Legacy Consortium
      Personal Author:
      Uttal, T.; Starkweather, S.; Drummond, J. R.; Vihma, T.; Makshtas, A. P.; Darby, L. S.; Burkhart, J. F.; Cox, C. J.; Schmeisser, L. N.; Haiden, T.; Maturilli, M.; Shupe, M. D.; De Boer, G.; Saha, A.; Grachev, A. A.; Crepinsek, S. M.; Bruhwiler, L.; Goodison, B.; McArthur, B.; Walden, V. P.; Dlugokencky, E. J.; Persson, P. O. G.; Lesins, G.; Laurila, T.; Ogren, J. A.; Stone, R.; Long, C. N.; Sharma, S.; Massling, A.; Turner, D. D.; Stanitski, D. M.; Asmi, E.; Aurela, M.; Skov, H.; Eleftheriadis, K.; Virkkula, A.; Platt, A.; Forland, E. J.; Iijima, Y.; Nielsen, I. E.; Bergin, M. H.; Candlish, L.; Zimov, N. S.; Zimov, S. A.; O'Neill, N. T.; Fogal, P. F.; Kivi, R.; Konopleva-Akish, E. A.; Verlinde, J.; Kustov, V. Y.; Vasel, B.; Ivakhov, V. M.; Viisanen, Y.; Intrieri, J. M.;
      Published:
      2016
      Source:
      Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 97(6), 1033-1056.
      Series:
      CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
      Description:
      International Arctic Systems for Observing the Atmosphere (IASOA) activities and partnerships were initiated as a part of the 2007-09 International Polar Year (IPY) and are expected to continue for many decades as a legacy program. The IASOA focus is...
      File Type:
      Filetype[PDF - 5.17 MB]
You May Also Like:
  1. An Airborne and Ground-Based Study of a Long-Lived and Intense Atmospheric River with Mesoscale Frontal Waves Impacting California during CalWater-2014
    Personal Author:
    Neiman, P. J.; Moore, B. J.; White, A. B.; Wick, G. A.; Aikins, J.; Jackson, D. L.; Spackman, J. R.; Ralph, F. M.;
    Published:
    2016
    Source:
    Monthly Weather Review, 144(3), 1115-1144.
    Description:
    The wettest period during the CalWater-2014 winter field campaign occurred with a long-lived, intense atmospheric river (AR) that impacted California on 7-10 February. The AR was maintained in conjunction with the development and propagation of three...
    File Type:
    Filetype[PDF - 11.35 MB]
  2. CalWater Field Studies Designed to Quantify the Roles of Atmospheric Rivers and Aerosols in Modulating U.S. West Coast Precipitation in a Changing Climate
    Personal Author:
    Ralph, F. M.; Prather, K. A.; Cayan, D.; Spackman, J. R.; DeMott, P.; Dettinger, M.; Fairall, C.; Leung, R.; Rosenfeld, D.; Rutledge, S.; Waliser, D.; White, A. B.; Cordeira, J.; Martin, A.; Helly, J.; Intrieri, J.;
    Published:
    2016
    Source:
    Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 97(7), 1209-1228.
    File Type:
    Filetype[PDF - 3.99 MB]
  3. The relationships between insoluble precipitation residues, clouds, and precipitation over California's southern Sierra Nevada during winter storms
    Personal Author:
    Creamean, J. M.; White, A. B.; Minnis, P.; Palikonda, R.; Spangenberg, D. A.; Prather, K. A.;
    Published:
    2016
    Source:
    Atmospheric Environment, 140, 298-310.
    Series:
    CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
    Description:
    Ice formation in orographic mixed -phase clouds can enhance precipitation and depends on the type of aerosols that serve as ice nucleating particles (INPs). The resulting precipitation from these clouds is a viable source of water, especially for reg...
    File Type:
    Filetype[PDF - 2.82 MB]
  4. 5-Year Review : Summary and Evaluation of Central Valley Spring-run Chinook Salmon Evolutionarily Significant Unit
    Published:
    2016
    Description:
    Many West Coast salmon and steelhead (Oncorhynchus sp.) stocks have declined substantially from their historic numbers and now are at a fraction of their historical abundance. There are several factors that contribute to these declines, including: ov...
    File Type:
    Filetype[PDF - 819.44 KB]
  5. 5-Year Review : Summary and Evaluation California Central Valley Steelhead Distinct Population Segment
    Published:
    2016
    Description:
    Many West Coast salmon and steelhead (Oncorhynchus sp.) stocks have declined substantially from their historic numbers and now are at a fraction of their historical abundance. There are several factors that contribute to these declines, including: ov...
    File Type:
    Filetype[PDF - 917.89 KB]