Effect of anthropogenic sulphate aerosol in China on the drought in the western-to-central US.

ABSTRACT: In recent decades, droughts have occurred in the western-to-central United States (US), significantly affecting food production, water supplies, ecosystem health, and the propagation of vector-borne diseases. Previous studies have suggested natural sea surface temperature (SST) forcing in the Pacific as the main driver of precipitation deficits in the US. Here, we show that the aerosol forcing in China, which has been known to alter the regional hydrological cycle in East Asia, may also contribute to reducing the precipitation in the western-to-central US through atmospheric teleconnections across the Pacific. Our model experiments show some indications that both the SST forcing and the increase in regional sulphate forcing in China play a similar role in modulating the western-to-central

SUBMITTER: Yeh SW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4585750 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature