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• Buenning, NH.
• Stott, L
• Kanner, L
• Yoshimura, K
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• Stott, L
• Kanner, L
• Yoshimura, K
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• Stott, L
• Kanner, L
• Yoshimura, K

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Water 2013, 5(3), 1116-1140; doi:10.3390/w5031116

Article

Diagnosing Atmospheric Influences on the Interannual ¹⁸O/¹⁶O Variations in Western U.S. Precipitation

Nikolaus H. Buenning ^1,* , Lowell Stott ¹, Lisa Kanner ¹ and Kei Yoshimura ²

¹ Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Zumberge Hall of Science (ZHS), 3651 Trousdale Pkwy, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA ² Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, University of Tokyo, General Research Building 211a, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoba, Kashiwa Chiba 277-8568, Japan

* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received: 28 April 2013; in revised form: 6 June 2013 / Accepted: 9 July 2013 / Published: 25 July 2013

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Tracers)

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Abstract: Many climate proxies in geological archives are dependent on the isotopic content of precipitation (δ¹⁸O_p), which over sub-annual timescales has been linked to temperature, condensation height, atmospheric circulation, and post-condensation exchanges in the western U.S. However, many proxies do not resolve temporal changes finer than interannual-scales. This study explores causes of the interannual variations in δ¹⁸O_p within the western U.S. Simulations with the Isotope-incorporated Global Spectral Model (IsoGSM) revealed an amplifying influence of post-condensation exchanges (i.e., raindrop evaporation and vapor equilibration) on interannual δ¹⁸O_p variations throughout the western U.S. Mid-latitude and subtropical vapor tagging simulations showed that the influence of moisture advection on δ¹⁸O_p was relatively strong in the Pacific Northwest, but weak over the rest of the western U.S. The vapor tags correlated well with interannual variations in the ¹⁸O/¹⁶O composition of vapor, an indication that isotopes in vapor trace atmospheric circulation. However, vertical-tagging simulations revealed a strong influence of condensation height on δ¹⁸O_p in California. In the interior of the western U.S., a strong temperature effect was found only after annual mean temperatures were weighted by monthly precipitation totals. These multiple influences on δ¹⁸O_p complicate interpretations of western U.S. climate proxies that are derived from isotopes in precipitation.

Keywords: water isotopes; moisture advection; condensation; climate proxies; precipitation; hydroclimate; global models; western U.S.

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