teleconnections

Researchers led by Emanuele Di Lorenzo at the Georgia Institute of Technology are beginning to make connections between climate change, various cyclical Pacific Ocean currents, and their potential affect on coastal marine ecosystems.  

During El Niño years, all climate divisions in Arizona and New Mexico tend to receive above-average winter precipitation. Values represent the percentage of December-March precipitation compared to non-El Niño years for the period 1895-1996.

The air circulation patterns at 18,000 feet show the signature “anticyclone” that helps define the North American monsoon.

The climate system is dynamic. Forceful winds and ocean currents circumnavigate the globe, redistributing the energy of the sun. The sun provides the external energy that drives the climate from the outside. The sun also stimulates internal changes that cause, for example, ocean currents to weaken or strengthen and trade winds to migrate.

The climate system is dynamic and complex. While weather details changes over short periods of time, like when anvil-shaped clouds burst in the late afternoon during monsoon season, climate describes average conditions over longer intervals.

Drizzly winter rains and raucous summer thunderstorms differ in how they affect the Southwest’s climate and landscape. This section describes these different types of storms and their impact on the landscape and water resources.