Abstract
This paper highlights the relationship between precipitation variability at the sub-regional level in the Southwest United States and the SOI and PDO climate teleconnection indices during the period 1950-2000. Statistical correlations at α = 0.05 and 0.01 levels are calculated for fall, winter, and spring precipitation in the Southwest, and contemporaneous and antecedent seasonal SOI and PDO index values. A strong SOI-winter precipitation signal is seen to progress across Arizona and New Mexico from southwest to northeast over a three-season lagged period. The PDO also exhibits a strong relationship with winter and spring precipitation in New Mexico; however, the PDO is not well correlated with precipitation in Arizona. The results underscore the non-uniform spatio-temporal relationships of the SOI and PDO indices as they relate to the precipitation regime of the Southwest, and provide a framework for future diagnostic analyses of these relationships.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 94-102 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Atmospheric Science Letters |
Volume | 3 |
Issue number | 2-4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2002 |
Keywords
- GIS
- PDO
- Precipitation
- SOI
- Southwest United States
- Synoptic climatology
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Atmospheric Science