Relationships between the El-Nino southern oscillation and spate flows in southern Africa and Australia
Date
2004
Authors
Whiting, J.
Lambert, M.
Metcalfe, A.
Adamson, P.
Franks, S.
Kuczera, G.
Editors
Advisors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Type:
Journal article
Citation
Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 2004; 8(6):1118-1128
Statement of Responsibility
J. P. Whiting, M. F. Lambert, A. V. Metcalfe, P. T. Adamson, S. W. Franks, and G. Kuczera
Conference Name
Abstract
The flow records of arid zone rivers are characterised by a high degree of seasonal variability, being dominated by long periods of very low or zero flow. Discrete flow events in these rivers are influenced by aseasonal factors such as global climate forcings. The atmospheric circulations of the El-Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) have been shown to influence climate regimes across many parts of the world. Strong teleconnections between changing ENSO regimes and discharges are likely to be observed in highly variable arid zones. In this paper, the influence of ENSO mechanisms on the flow records of two arid zone rivers in each of Australia and Southern Africa are identified. ENSO signals, together with multi-decadal variability in their impact as identified through seasonal values of the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO) index, are shown to influence both the rate of occurrence and the size of discrete flow episodes in these rivers.
School/Discipline
Dissertation Note
Provenance
Description
© Author(s) 2004. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.