Southern California winter precipitation variability reflected in 100-year ocean salinity record
Abstract Rainfall in southern California is highly variable, with some fluctuations explainable by climate patterns. Resulting runoff and heightened streamflow from rain events introduces freshwater plumes into the coastal ocean. Here we use a 105-year daily sea surface salinity record collected at...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2023-04-01
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| Series: | Communications Earth & Environment |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-00803-8 |
| _version_ | 1797836218350698496 |
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| author | Sierra M. Byrne Mark A. Merrifield Melissa L. Carter Daniel R. Cayan Reinhard E. Flick Alexander Gershunov Sarah N. Giddings |
| author_facet | Sierra M. Byrne Mark A. Merrifield Melissa L. Carter Daniel R. Cayan Reinhard E. Flick Alexander Gershunov Sarah N. Giddings |
| author_sort | Sierra M. Byrne |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Rainfall in southern California is highly variable, with some fluctuations explainable by climate patterns. Resulting runoff and heightened streamflow from rain events introduces freshwater plumes into the coastal ocean. Here we use a 105-year daily sea surface salinity record collected at Scripps Pier in La Jolla, California to show that El Niño Southern Oscillation and Pacific Decadal Oscillation both have signatures in coastal sea surface salinity. Averaging the freshest quantile of sea surface salinity over each year’s winter season provides a useful metric for connecting the coastal ocean to interannual winter rainfall variability, through the influence of freshwater plumes originating, at closest, 7.5 km north of Scripps Pier. This salinity metric has a clear relationship with dominant climate phases: negative Pacific Decadal Oscillation and La Niña conditions correspond consistently with lack of salinity anomaly/ dry winters. Fresh salinity anomalies (i.e., wet winters) occur during positive phase Pacific Decadal Oscillation and El Niño winters, although not consistently. This analysis emphasizes the strong influence that precipitation and consequent streamflow has on the coastal ocean, even in a region of overall low freshwater input, and provides an ocean-based metric for assessing decadal rainfall variability. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T15:06:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6bcb2209b3e74d78af7cdffce20a4e4a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2662-4435 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T15:06:21Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Communications Earth & Environment |
| spelling | doaj.art-6bcb2209b3e74d78af7cdffce20a4e4a2023-04-30T11:29:27ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Earth & Environment2662-44352023-04-01411910.1038/s43247-023-00803-8Southern California winter precipitation variability reflected in 100-year ocean salinity recordSierra M. Byrne0Mark A. Merrifield1Melissa L. Carter2Daniel R. Cayan3Reinhard E. Flick4Alexander Gershunov5Sarah N. Giddings6Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San DiegoScripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San DiegoScripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San DiegoScripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San DiegoScripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San DiegoScripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San DiegoScripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San DiegoAbstract Rainfall in southern California is highly variable, with some fluctuations explainable by climate patterns. Resulting runoff and heightened streamflow from rain events introduces freshwater plumes into the coastal ocean. Here we use a 105-year daily sea surface salinity record collected at Scripps Pier in La Jolla, California to show that El Niño Southern Oscillation and Pacific Decadal Oscillation both have signatures in coastal sea surface salinity. Averaging the freshest quantile of sea surface salinity over each year’s winter season provides a useful metric for connecting the coastal ocean to interannual winter rainfall variability, through the influence of freshwater plumes originating, at closest, 7.5 km north of Scripps Pier. This salinity metric has a clear relationship with dominant climate phases: negative Pacific Decadal Oscillation and La Niña conditions correspond consistently with lack of salinity anomaly/ dry winters. Fresh salinity anomalies (i.e., wet winters) occur during positive phase Pacific Decadal Oscillation and El Niño winters, although not consistently. This analysis emphasizes the strong influence that precipitation and consequent streamflow has on the coastal ocean, even in a region of overall low freshwater input, and provides an ocean-based metric for assessing decadal rainfall variability.https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-00803-8 |
| spellingShingle | Sierra M. Byrne Mark A. Merrifield Melissa L. Carter Daniel R. Cayan Reinhard E. Flick Alexander Gershunov Sarah N. Giddings Southern California winter precipitation variability reflected in 100-year ocean salinity record Communications Earth & Environment |
| title | Southern California winter precipitation variability reflected in 100-year ocean salinity record |
| title_full | Southern California winter precipitation variability reflected in 100-year ocean salinity record |
| title_fullStr | Southern California winter precipitation variability reflected in 100-year ocean salinity record |
| title_full_unstemmed | Southern California winter precipitation variability reflected in 100-year ocean salinity record |
| title_short | Southern California winter precipitation variability reflected in 100-year ocean salinity record |
| title_sort | southern california winter precipitation variability reflected in 100 year ocean salinity record |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-00803-8 |
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