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Teleconnections of soil moisture and rainfall during the 1993 midwest summer flood
Author(s) -
Pal Jeremy S.,
Eltahir Elfatih A. B.
Publication year - 2002
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 - 10.1029/2002gl014815
Subject(s) - flood myth , environmental science , teleconnection , water content , flooding (psychology) , moisture , hydrology (agriculture) , precipitation , climatology , atmospheric sciences , geology , geography , el niño southern oscillation , meteorology , psychology , geotechnical engineering , archaeology , psychotherapist
Here, we investigate the role of spring soil moisture distribution during the 1993 summer flood in North America. A series of idealized numerical experiments are performed using a regional climate model with different soil moisture conditions. It is concluded that the abnormally dry conditions in the Southwest may be partially responsible for the meridional location of the intense flooding in the Upper Midwest. Furthermore, the abnormally wet soil moisture conditions in the Midwest are likely to be partially responsible for the flood's persistence and large magnitude, but not for its spatial location. These impacts are initiated via processes involving the local energy and water budgets and then propagated to the surrounding regions through the large scale dynamics. Depending on the location, soil moisture anomalies over relatively small regions can significantly alter rainfall both locally and in surrounding regions.