Northeast Indian stalagmite records Pacific decadal climate change: implications for moisture transport and drought in India

Christopher G. Myers; Jessica L. Oster; Warren D. Sharp; Ralf  Bennartz; Neil P. Kelley; Aaron K. Covey; Sebastian Breitenbach

doi:10.1002/2015GL063826

Northeast Indian stalagmite records Pacific decadal climate change: implications for moisture transport and drought in India

Christopher G. Myers, Jessica L. Oster, Warren D. Sharp, Ralf Bennartz, Neil P. Kelley, Aaron K. Covey, Sebastian Breitenbach

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59 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Two types of El Niño events are distinguished by sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies centered in the central or eastern equatorial Pacific. The Central Pacific El Niño events (CP-El Niño) are more highly correlated with weakening of the central Indian Summer Monsoon and linked to decadal Pacific climate variability. We present a 50 year, subannually resolved speleothem δ18O record from northeast India that exhibits a significant correlation with northern Pacific decadal variability and central equatorial Pacific SSTs. Accordingly, we suggest that δ18O time series in similar northeast Indian speleothems are effective tools for investigating preinstrumental changes in Pacific climate, including changes in El Niño dynamics. In contrast to central India, rainfall amounts in northeast India are relatively unaffected by El Niño. However, back trajectory analysis indicates that during CP-El Niño events moisture transport distance to northeast India is reduced, suggesting that variations in moisture transport primarily control δ18O in the region.

Original language	English
Journal	Geophysical Research Letters
Volume	42
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/2015GL063826
Publication status	Published - 29 Apr 2015

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10.1002/2015GL063826

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@article{e0f34afd467f49248c678fba7a148f4d,

title = "Northeast Indian stalagmite records Pacific decadal climate change: implications for moisture transport and drought in India",

abstract = "Two types of El Ni{\~n}o events are distinguished by sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies centered in the central or eastern equatorial Pacific. The Central Pacific El Ni{\~n}o events (CP-El Ni{\~n}o) are more highly correlated with weakening of the central Indian Summer Monsoon and linked to decadal Pacific climate variability. We present a 50 year, subannually resolved speleothem δ18O record from northeast India that exhibits a significant correlation with northern Pacific decadal variability and central equatorial Pacific SSTs. Accordingly, we suggest that δ18O time series in similar northeast Indian speleothems are effective tools for investigating preinstrumental changes in Pacific climate, including changes in El Ni{\~n}o dynamics. In contrast to central India, rainfall amounts in northeast India are relatively unaffected by El Ni{\~n}o. However, back trajectory analysis indicates that during CP-El Ni{\~n}o events moisture transport distance to northeast India is reduced, suggesting that variations in moisture transport primarily control δ18O in the region.",

author = "Myers, \{Christopher G.\} and Oster, \{Jessica L.\} and Sharp, \{Warren D.\} and Ralf Bennartz and Kelley, \{Neil P.\} and Covey, \{Aaron K.\} and Sebastian Breitenbach",

year = "2015",

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day = "29",

doi = "10.1002/2015GL063826",

language = "English",

volume = "42",

journal = "Geophysical Research Letters",

issn = "0094-8276",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Northeast Indian stalagmite records Pacific decadal climate change: implications for moisture transport and drought in India

AU - Myers, Christopher G.

AU - Oster, Jessica L.

AU - Sharp, Warren D.

AU - Bennartz, Ralf

AU - Kelley, Neil P.

AU - Covey, Aaron K.

AU - Breitenbach, Sebastian

PY - 2015/4/29

Y1 - 2015/4/29

N2 - Two types of El Niño events are distinguished by sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies centered in the central or eastern equatorial Pacific. The Central Pacific El Niño events (CP-El Niño) are more highly correlated with weakening of the central Indian Summer Monsoon and linked to decadal Pacific climate variability. We present a 50 year, subannually resolved speleothem δ18O record from northeast India that exhibits a significant correlation with northern Pacific decadal variability and central equatorial Pacific SSTs. Accordingly, we suggest that δ18O time series in similar northeast Indian speleothems are effective tools for investigating preinstrumental changes in Pacific climate, including changes in El Niño dynamics. In contrast to central India, rainfall amounts in northeast India are relatively unaffected by El Niño. However, back trajectory analysis indicates that during CP-El Niño events moisture transport distance to northeast India is reduced, suggesting that variations in moisture transport primarily control δ18O in the region.

AB - Two types of El Niño events are distinguished by sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies centered in the central or eastern equatorial Pacific. The Central Pacific El Niño events (CP-El Niño) are more highly correlated with weakening of the central Indian Summer Monsoon and linked to decadal Pacific climate variability. We present a 50 year, subannually resolved speleothem δ18O record from northeast India that exhibits a significant correlation with northern Pacific decadal variability and central equatorial Pacific SSTs. Accordingly, we suggest that δ18O time series in similar northeast Indian speleothems are effective tools for investigating preinstrumental changes in Pacific climate, including changes in El Niño dynamics. In contrast to central India, rainfall amounts in northeast India are relatively unaffected by El Niño. However, back trajectory analysis indicates that during CP-El Niño events moisture transport distance to northeast India is reduced, suggesting that variations in moisture transport primarily control δ18O in the region.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/84931560130

U2 - 10.1002/2015GL063826

DO - 10.1002/2015GL063826

M3 - Article

SN - 0094-8276

VL - 42

JO - Geophysical Research Letters

JF - Geophysical Research Letters

ER -

Northeast Indian stalagmite records Pacific decadal climate change: implications for moisture transport and drought in India

Abstract

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