Research Conducted with the Columbia Water Center using data from the KNMI Climate Explorer a data aggregation tool created by the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute
Awards:
National Meteorological Association Award (2015)
Stockholm Junior Water Prize (2015)
Global view of atmospheric moisture transport, often forming long tendrils called Atmospheric Rivers
The Effect of Global Seasonal Temperatures on Precipitation and Number of Tropical Moisture Export Tracks in the Northeast United States
Abstract:
The great flow of water vapor from the tropics to the North Pole is a major contributor of precipitation to the Northeast United States (NE). These tropical moisture exports (TMEs) originate in several different areas in and around Central America and manifest as atmospheric rivers (ARs), which carry the moisture in very narrow and long channels to the Northeast. As the climate of the Earth shifts there will be changes in the behavior of these TMEs and the amount of precipitation they deliver to the Northeast. This study aims to determine the connection between global seasonal temperature and the amount of precipitation produced and the number of AR tracks in the Northeast United States between the years 1989 and 2009. A regression analysis was performed to determine these connections as well as a correlation test to prove their significance. It is important to understand the massive role TMEs play in the climate of the Northeast and the threat that they can create in the forms of floods, droughts, snowstorms and other severe weather events. Determining these connections will shed light on what the future will hold as climate change continues to alter global temperatures.