Synoptic and planetary-scale dynamics modulate antarctic atmospheric river precipitation intensity

Rebecca Baiman (1) , Andrew C Winters (1) , Benjamin Pohl (2) , Vincent Favier (3) , Jonathan D Wille (3) , Kyle R Clem (4)

1 ATOC - Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences [Boulder]
2 CRC - Centre de Recherches de Climatologie [UMR Biogéosciences]
3 IGE - Institut des Géosciences de l’Environnement
4 Victoria University of Wellington

Although rare, atmospheric rivers substantially influence the interannual variability of Antarctic surface mass balance. Here we use MERRA-2 reanalysis to identify characteristics unique to atmospheric river environments by comparing (1) Analog (environments that feature high-low pressure couplets, similar to Atmospheric River environments, but no Atmospheric River), (2) Atmospheric River, and (3) Top Atmospheric River (highest precipitation) timesteps during 1980–2019 around Antarctica. We find significant differences between Atmospheric River and Analog environments including more intense and poleward-shifted mid-tropospheric geopotential height couplets as well as larger atmospheric moisture anomalies. We find similar significant enhancement in synoptic-scale dynamic drivers of Top Atmospheric Rivers compared to all Atmospheric River environments, but no significant difference in local integrated water vapor anomalies. Instead, our results highlight the importance of large-scale dynamic drivers during Top Atmospheric River timesteps, including amplified Rossby waves excited by tropical convection.

Domains: Ocean, Atmosphere

Rebecca Baiman, Andrew C Winters, Benjamin Pohl, Vincent Favier, Jonathan D Wille, et al.. Synoptic and planetary-scale dynamics modulate antarctic atmospheric river precipitation intensity. Communications Earth & Environment, 2024, 5 (1), pp.127. ⟨10.1038/s43247-024-01307-9⟩. ⟨hal-04505424⟩