HR: 17:10h
AN: H54B-04 INVITED     [Abstracts]
TI: Hydroclimatic Teleconnections in the American Cordillera: Case Studies and Considerations for Future Assessment
AU: * Valdes, J B
EM: jvaldes@u.arizona.edu
AF: Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics/SAHRA, The University of Arizona, CE Bldg, Room 206, Tucson, Az 85721-0072, United States
AU: Canon, J E
EM: jecanonb@email.arizona.edu
AF: Department of Hydrology and Water Resources, The University of Arizona, John W. Harshbarger Building 1133 E James E. Rogers Way, Tucson, Az 85721, United States
AU: Canon, J E
EM: jecanonb@email.arizona.edu
AF: Universidad de Antioquia, Calle 67 Nº 53-108, Medellin, Colombia
AB: Understanding the trends and low frequency oscillation modes of hydrologic variables such as precipitation and storage volumes in lakes and snow peaks along the American Cordillera is an aim of enormous relevance for the adequate management of its water reserves. Many hydroclimatic patterns affecting the cordillera are teleconnected in turn to quasi periodic changes in sea surface temperatures on the Pacific Ocean such as ENSO and the PDO. The spatiotemporal influence of these teleconnections was quantified by applying Principal Components (PC) and Multichannel Singular Spectrum Analysis (MSSA) techniques to two cases that exhibit different climatic regimes: the seasonal and annual variability of precipitation over the Colorado River Basin (CRB) in North America, and the seasonal fluctuations of storage at the Tota Lake in the Colombian Andes. The coupled impact of the PDO-ENSO signals on the annual precipitation series of the CRB indicates the presence of a trend and two oscillation modes around five and 15 years that explain a significant fraction of its variance. Common enhancement phases between the three signals also favor the occurrence of regionalized droughts and wet years in the basin. The Tota lake exhibits in turn a continuous decline in its mean annual levels and a delayed ENSO-related response in which pronounced drops occur during severe El Nino episodes. The two cases mentioned exemplify the situation faced by many water bodies in the cordillera, especially under the current projections of global climate change. Addressing the expected hydrologic changes in a coordinate manner will help improving the monitoring, modeling and forecasting skills necessary to make better informed decisions about the use and protection of these resources.
DE: 1848 Monitoring networks
DE: 1855 Remote sensing (1640)
DE: 1863 Snow and ice (0736, 0738, 0776, 1827)
DE: 1873 Uncertainty assessment (3275)
DE: 6334 Regional planning (1880)
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: 2007 Joint Assembly