Self-organizing maps (SOMs) were used to explore relationships between large-scale synoptic conditions, especially vertically integrated water vapor transport (IVT), and extreme precipitation events in the U.S. Intermountain West (IMW). By examining spatial patterns in the IVT, pathways are identified where moisture can penetrate into the IMW. A substantial number of extreme precipitation events in the IMW are associated with infrequently occurring synoptic patterns. The transition frequency between each of the SOM nodes, which indicate temporal relationships between the patterns, identified two synoptic settings associated with extreme precipitation in the IMW: (1) a landfalling, zonally propagating trough that results in a concentrated IVT band that moves southward as the system moves inland and (2) a southwesterly storm track associated with strong ridging over the coast that results in persistent IVT transport into the Pacific Northwest that can last for several days.
Few if any high-resolution (annually resolved) paleoclimate records are available for the Hawaiian Islands prior to; similar to 1850 CE, after which s...
2016 | Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, 33(3), 579-595.
Description:
This study consists of two parts. The first part describes the way in which vertical air motions and raindrop size distributions (DSDs) were retrieved...
The analysis produced by the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) may be dynamically inconsistent and contain unbalanced gravity waves that are absent in the...
2016 | Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 73(2), 467-486.
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, t...
The semiarid U.S. Great Plains is prone to severe droughts having major consequences for agricultural production, livestock health, and river navigati...
This study documents a very rapid increase in convective instability, vertical wind shear, and mesoscale forcing for ascent leading to the formation o...
Carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation are a major cause of anthropogenic climate change. The deployment of wind and solar power reduces...
Forced atmospheric teleconnections during 1979-2014 are examined using a 50-member ensemble of atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) simulation...
Stratospheric ozone depletion plays a major role in driving climate change in the Southern Hemisphere. To date, many climate models prescribe the stra...
The land surface model (LSM) described in this manuscript was originally developed as part of the NOAA Rapid Update Cycle (RUC) model development effo...
Ensemble postprocessing is frequently applied to correct biases and deficiencies in the spread of ensemble forecasts. Methods involving weighted, regr...
Noise interferometry is the process by which approximations to acoustic Green's functions, which describe sound propagation between two locations, are...
The structural evolution of the inner core and near environment throughout the life cycle of Hurricane Edouard (2014) is examined using a synthesis of...
The Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO), the dominant year-round pattern of monthly North Pacific sea surface temperature (SST) variability, is an impor...
2016 | Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 97(8), 1427-+.
Description:
With a goal of improving operational numerical weather prediction (NWP), the Developmental Testbed Center (DTC) has been working with operational cent...
The Rapid Refresh (RAP), an hourly updated assimilation and model forecast system, replaced the Rapid Update Cycle (RUC) as an operational regional an...
2017 | International Journal of Climatology, 37(1), 197-203.
Description:
Contrary to the above title, a more typical question might be ‘How does climate variability and change impact atolls (and associated ecosystems and ...
2016 | Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 73(6), 2361-2384.
Description:
The intrusion of lower-stratospheric extratropical potential vorticity into the tropical upper troposphere in the weeks surrounding the occurrence of ...
2016 | Journal of Hydrometeorology, 17(7), 1905-1914.
Description:
The upper Sacramento River watershed is vital to California's water supply and is susceptible to major floods. Orographic precipitation in this comple...
2017 | Journal of Hydrometeorology, 18(5), 1359-1374
Description:
The occurrence of atmospheric rivers (ARs) in association with avalanche fatalities is evaluated in the conterminous western United States between 199...
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