Impacts of Large-Scale Teleconnections on River-Ice Duration over Canada

• Main Authors: Barrie R. Bonsal, Terry D. Prowse, Claude R. Duguay, Martin P. Lacroix
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: River ice plays a key role in the physical; b; Arctic; Canada; Pacific; North Atlantic; North Atlantic oscillation
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.517.794; http://cripe.civil.ualberta.ca/Downloads/13th_Workshop/Bonsal-et-al-2005.pdf

River ice affects several physical, chemical, and biological processes in cold regions. Its duration and break-up can also impact economic activities ranging from transportation, to the occurrence and severity of ice-jam flooding. Recent evidence indicates a shortening of the river-ice season over much of Canada with the reduction being mainly attributable to earlier break-ups. These trends match those in surface temperature during the last 50 years. Several studies have shown significant relationships between Canadian temperature and large-scale teleconnections particularly, during the cold season. However, no investigations have analyzed relationships between atmospheric and oceanic oscillations and historical river-ice durations over Canada. This paper examines the impacts of El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), the Pacific North American (PNA) pattern, the North Pacific (NP) index, the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), and the Arctic Oscillation (AO) on Canadian river-ice durations from 1950-1999. Composite and correlation analyses reveal strongest links between the Pacific-related PDO, PNA, NP, and ENSO