Articles | Volume 15, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-2053-2019
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-2053-2019
Research article
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19 Dec 2019
Research article | Highlight paper |  | 19 Dec 2019

Two types of North American droughts related to different atmospheric circulation patterns

Angela-Maria Burgdorf, Stefan Brönnimann, and Jörg Franke

Data sets

Ensemble Kalman Fitting Paleo-Reanalysis Version 1 (EKF400_v1) J. Franke, S. Brönnimann, J. Bhend, and Y. Brugnara https://doi.org/10.1594/WDCC/EKF400_v1

The ERA-Interim reanalysis: configuration and performance of the data assimilation system D. P. Dee, S. M. Uppala, A. J. Simmons, P. Berrisford, P. Poli, S. Kobayashi, U. Andrae, M. A. Balmaseda, G. Balsamo, P. Bauer, P. Bechtold, A. C. M. Beljaars, L. van de Berg, J. Bidlot, N. Bormann, C. Delsol, R. Dragani, M. Fuentes, A. J. Geer, L. Haimberger, S. B. Healy, H. Hersbach, E. V. Hólm, L. Isaksen, P. Kållberg, M. Köhler, M. Matricardi, A. P. McNally, B. M. Monge-Sanz, J.-J. Morcrette, B.-K. Park, C. Peubey, P. de Rosnay, C. Tavolato, J.-N. Thépaut, and F. Vitart https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.828

Megadroughts in North America: placing IPCC projections of hydroclimatic change in a long-term palaeoclimate context E. R. Cook, R. Seager, R. R. Heim, R. S. Vose, C. Herweijer, and C. A. Woodhouse https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.1303

Paleo Hydrodynamics Data Assimilation product (PHYDA) N. J. Steiger https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1198817

A reconstruction of global hydroclimate and dynamical variables over the Common Era N. J. Steiger, J. E. Smerdon, E. R. Cook, and B. I. Cook https://doi.org/10.1038/sdata.2018.86

The Twentieth Century Reanalysis Project G. P. Compo, J. S. Whitaker, P. D. Sardeshmukh, N. Matsui, R. J. Allan, X. Yin, B. E. Gleason, R. S. Vose, G. Rutledge, P. Bessemoulin, S. Brönnimann, M. Brunet, R. I. Crouthamel, A. N. Grant, P. Y. Groisman, P. D. Jones, M. C. Kruk, A. C. Kruger, G. J. Marshall, M. Maugeri, H. Y. Mok, Ø. Nordli, T. F. Ross, R. M. Trigo, X. L. Wang, S. D. Woodruff and S. J. Worley https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.776

Land Temperature Spanning 1753 to 2011 R. Rohde, R. A. Muller, R. Jacobsen, E. Muller, and C. Wickham https://doi.org/10.4172/2327-4581.1000101

Berkeley Earth Temperature Averaging Process R. Rohde, R. Muller, R. Jacobsen, S. Perlmutter, and S. Mosher https://doi.org/10.4172/2327-4581.1000103

Quantifying uncertainties in global and regional temperature change using an ensemble of observational estimates: The HadCRUT4 data set C. P. Morice, J. J. Kennedy, N. A. Rayner, and P. D. Jones https://doi.org/10.1029/2011JD017187

Model code and software

Southward shift of the northern tropical belt from 1945 to 1980 S. Brönnimann, A. M. Fischer, E. Rozanov, P. Poli, G. P. Compo, and P. D. Sardeshmukh https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2568

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Short summary
The western USA is frequently affected by multiannual summer droughts. They can be separated into two groups with distinct spatial patterns. This study analyzes the atmospheric circulation during multiannual droughts in a new 3-D climate reconstruction. We confirm two distinct drought types differing with respect to atmospheric circulation as well as sea surface temperatures. Our results suggest that both the Pacific and the extratropical North Atlantic region affect North American droughts.