Uncertainty in El Niño-like warming and California precipitation changes linked by the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation

Lu Dong; L Ruby Leung; Fengfei Song; Jian Lu

doi:10.1038/s41467-021-26797-5

Uncertainty in El Niño-like warming and California precipitation changes linked by the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation

Nat Commun. 2021 Nov 10;12(1):6484. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-26797-5.

Authors

Lu Dong¹, L Ruby Leung², Fengfei Song³, Jian Lu³

Affiliations

¹ Atmospheric Sciences and Global Change Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington, USA. donglu.atmosphere@gmail.com.
² Atmospheric Sciences and Global Change Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington, USA. ruby.leung@pnnl.gov.
³ Atmospheric Sciences and Global Change Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington, USA.

Abstract

Marked uncertainty in California (CA) precipitation projections challenges their use in adaptation planning in the region already experiencing severe water stress. Under global warming, a westerly jet extension in the North Pacific analogous to the El Niño-like teleconnection has been suggested as a key mechanism for CA winter precipitation changes. However, this teleconnection has not been reconciled with the well-known El Niño-like warming response or the controversial role of internal variability in the precipitation uncertainty. Here we find that internal variability contributes > 70% and > 50% of uncertainty in the CA precipitation changes and the El Niño-like warming, respectively, based on analysis of 318 climate simulations from several multi-model and large ensembles. The Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation plays a key role in each contribution and in connecting the two via the westerly jet extension. This unifying understanding of the role of internal variability in CA precipitation provides critical guidance for reducing and communicating uncertainty to inform adaptation planning.