Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
9
PrecipitationClimatology
atSelectedLTERSites:
Regionalization and
Dominant Circulation Patterns
Douglas G. Goodin
CONTENTS
Introduction............................................................................................................ 191
Climate.and.Ecology.Research.in.the.LTER.Program....................................... 192
Data......................................................................................................................... 194
Gridded.Precipitation.Data................................................................................ 194
LTER.Precipitation.Data.................................................................................... 194
Atmospheric.Circulation.Mode.Data................................................................. 194
Methods.................................................................................................................. 197
Results.................................................................................................................... 198
Correlation.with.Gridded.Precipitation.Data..................................................... 198
Correlation.with.LTER.Site.Data....................................................................... 201
Analysis.of.MBPA............................................................................................. 202
Summary................................................................................................................. 203
References.............................................................................................................. 205
INTRODUCTION
There. is. now. abundant. evidence. that. the. Earth's. climate. is. changing. at. a. rapid. rate.
(IPCC.2007)..Although.the.role.of.humans.in.this.change.is.controversial,.the.consensus.
opinion.among.the.majority.of.the.climate.research.community.is.that.anthropogenic.
emissions. of. radiatively. active. greenhouse. gases. are. a. major. driver. of. the. observed.
climatic.changes..Global.climate.models.have.consistently.predicted.increases.in.mean.
global.temperature.with.increased.atmospheric.greenhouse.gas.concentrations.(Cox.et.
al..2000)..These.predictions.have.been.supported.by.direct.observational.evidence,.for.
example,.the.association.between.increased.atmospheric.CO
2
.and.warming.in.the.latter.
half.of.the.twentieth.century.(Mann.et.al..2008)..Additional.support.of.the.enhanced.
greenhouse.effect.hypothesis.has.been.provided.by.a.number.of.proxy.indicators.of.
temperature.change,.among.them.glacial.dynamics.(Oerlemans.2001),.reduction.in.ice.
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