Amplified seasonal cycle in hydroclimate over the Amazon river basin and its plume region
Journal
Nature Communications
Journal Volume
11
Journal Issue
1
Pages
-
Date Issued
2020
Author(s)
Abstract
The Amazon river basin receives ~2000 mm of precipitation annually and contributes ~17% of global river freshwater input to the oceans; its hydroclimatic variations can exert profound impacts on the marine ecosystem in the Amazon plume region (APR) and have potential far-reaching influences on hydroclimate over the tropical Atlantic. Here, we show that an amplified seasonal cycle of Amazonia precipitation, represented by the annual difference between maximum and minimum values, during the period 1979–2018, leads to enhanced seasonalities in both Amazon river discharge and APR ocean salinity. An atmospheric moisture budget analysis shows that these enhanced seasonal cycles are associated with similar amplifications in the atmospheric vertical and horizontal moisture advections. Hierarchical sensitivity experiments using global climate models quantify the relationships of these enhanced seasonalities. The results suggest that an intensified hydroclimatological cycle may develop in the Amazonia atmosphere-land-ocean coupled system, favouring more extreme terrestrial and marine conditions. © 2020, The Author(s).
Other Subjects
atmospheric moisture; climate modeling; freshwater input; global climate; hierarchical system; land-atmosphere interaction; land-sea interaction; marine ecosystem; river basin; river discharge; terrestrial ecosystem; advection; article; atmospheric moisture; budget; gene amplification; global climate; hydroclimate; plume; precipitation; river basin; salinity; sea; seasonal variation; Amazonia; Atlantic Ocean; Atlantic Ocean (Tropical)
Type
journal article