Effect Of Interannual And Interdecadal Climate Oscillations On Groundwater In North Carolina (Article #1)

ASU Author/Contributor (non-ASU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
William Anderson Ph.D., Professor and Chair: Hydrogeology (Creator)
Institution
Appalachian State University (ASU )
Web Site: https://library.appstate.edu/

Abstract: Multi-year climate oscillations such as the El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) affect precipitation and stream discharge rates in the western hemisphere. While inferences may be drawn between these hydroclimatological relationships and groundwater conditions, few studies explicitly link groundwater conditions to these cycles. Here we investigate relationships between winter ENSO, PDO, and lagging baseflow rates in the southeastern United States. We find strong correlation between winter ENSO and lagged baseflow in coastal North Carolina which, coupled with anomalies in mean baseflow, decrease with distance inland from the coast. Our results demonstrate that interannual and interdecadal climate oscillations in the Pacific Ocean have a strong effect on hydrological processes in eastern North America despite filtering by the groundwater flow process. These results have implications for water resource availability in regions where water management is complicated by population growth and climatic uncertainty.

Additional Information

Publication
Anderson William Jr., RE Emanuel (2008). Effect Of Interannual And Interdecadal Climate Oscillations On Groundwater In North Carolina, Geophys Res Lett 35:L23402, doi:10.1029/2008GL036054. Version of record available from Wiley [ISSN: 1944-8007], [DOI: 10.1029/2008GL036054]
Language: English
Date: 2008
Keywords
interannual and interdecadal climate oscillations, North Carolina groundwater, population growth, hydrological process

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