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Questioning the Influence of Sunspots on Amazon Hydrology: Even a Broken Clock Tells the Right Time Twice a Day
Author(s) -
Baker J. C. A.,
Gloor M.,
Boom A.,
Neill D. A.,
Cintra B. B. L.,
Clerici S. J.,
Brienen R. J. W.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2017gl076889
Subject(s) - sunspot , amazon rainforest , proxy (statistics) , streamflow , climatology , sunspot number , environmental science , atmospheric sciences , meteorology , geology , geography , physics , solar cycle , mathematics , statistics , drainage basin , nuclear physics , cartography , ecology , plasma , quantum mechanics , magnetic field , solar wind , biology
It was suggested in a recent article that sunspots drive decadal variation in Amazon River flow. This conclusion was based on a novel time series decomposition method used to extract a decadal signal from the Amazon River record. We have extended this analysis back in time, using a new hydrological proxy record of tree ring oxygen isotopes (δ 18 O TR ). Consistent with the findings of Antico and Torres, we find a positive correlation between sunspots and the decadal δ 18 O TR cycle from 1903 to 2012 ( r = 0.60, p < 0.001). However, the relationship does not persist into the preceding century and even becomes weakly negative ( r = −0.30, p = 0.11, 1799–1902). This result casts considerable doubt over the mechanism by which sunspots are purported to influence Amazon hydrology.