Oct 21, 2015
Increasing water cycle extremes in California and in relation to ENSO cycle under global warming
by
,
Nature Communications
- Analyzes large-ensemble and multi-model simulations that project the future of water cycle extremes in California as well as to understand those associations that pertain to changing climate oscillations under global warming
- Finds that both intense drought and excessive flooding are projected to increase by at least 50% towards the end of the twenty-first century
- Finds that this projected increase in water cycle extremes is associated with a strengthened relation to El Niño and the Southern Oscillation (ENSO)—in particular, extreme El Niño and La Niña events that modulate California’s climate not only through its warm and cold phases but also its precursor patterns