A31E-0103
Mapping the Locations of Asymmetric and Symmetric Discharge Responses in Global Rivers to the Two Types of El Niño
Wednesday, 16 December 2015
Poster Hall (Moscone South)
Yu-Chiao Liang, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States, Chin-Chieh Chou, National Taiwan University, Atmospheric Sciences, Taipei, Taiwan, Jin-Yi Yu, University of California Irvine, Earth System Science, Irvine, CA, United States and Min-Hui Lo, NTU National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
Abstract:
River discharge variations play a pivotal role in global hydrological and biogeochemical cycles and can impact the world's agro-economics. In this study, discharge variations associated with the Central Pacific (CP) and Eastern Pacific (EP) types of El Niño are contrasted for the world's eighteen largest rivers. Maps are constructed to identify the rivers that produce opposite-sign (i.e., asymmetric response) or same-sign (i.e., symmetric response) variations to these two types of El Niño. The mapping shows that the strongest asymmetric response occurs in rivers of North America whereas the strongest symmetric response occurs in rivers in Australia and Europe. Rivers in Asia and Africa alter their response patterns through various phases of El Niño. The response patterns are linked to precipitation variations within the river basins. The mapping offers an overview of which rivers may need new projection and management strategies in response to the changing El Niño type (from EP to CP) in recent decades.
