Intercomparison of four global precipitation data sets and their correlation with increased Eurasian river discharge tot he Arctic Ocean ...

• Main Authors: Smith, L.C., Pavelsky, T.M.
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2006
• Subjects: Arctic; Arctic Ocean; ArcticNet; permafrost
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.17615/atsz-7h48; https://cdr.lib.unc.edu/concern/articles/m326mb76c

Recent increases in Eurasian river discharge to the Arctic Ocean have attracted considerable scientific attention but remain poorly understood. Previous studies have examined fire frequency, permafrost thaw, and dam construction as potential mechanisms. Here we focus on precipitation as a driver, using 198 dam-free Eurasian river basins ranging from 151 to 897,000 km2. Using R-ArcticNet monthly discharge data and four observational and reanalysis precipitation products from the University of Delaware (UDel), University of Washington (UW), NCEP/NCAR (NCEP), and ECMWF (ERA-40), we (1) assess which precipitation data sets best capture spatially realistic patterns as inferred from agreement with river discharge (198 basins; 1958-1989); and (2) determine to what extent observed discharge trends follow Udel precipitation changes (66 basins; 1936-1999). Results from the precipitation intercomparison show for the 74 (of 198) basins displaying statistically significant discharge trends (24 positive, 50 negative; -74% ...