One Thousand Three Hundred Years of Variability in the Position of the South Pacific Convergence Zone

Higgins, PA; Palmer, JG; Turney, CSM; Andersen, MS; Cook, ER

One Thousand Three Hundred Years of Variability in the Position of the South Pacific Convergence Zone

Higgins, PA Palmer, JG Turney, CSM Andersen, MS Cook, ER

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Publisher:: AMER GEOPHYSICAL UNION
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Geophysical Research Letters, 2020, 47, (17)
Issue Date:: 2020-09-16

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Higgins, PA
dc.contributor.author	Palmer, JG
dc.contributor.author	Turney, CSM
dc.contributor.author	Andersen, MS
dc.contributor.author	Cook, ER
dc.date.accessioned	2022-01-11T00:24:09Z
dc.date.available	2022-01-11T00:24:09Z
dc.date.issued	2020-09-16
dc.identifier.citation	Geophysical Research Letters, 2020, 47, (17)
dc.identifier.issn	0094-8276
dc.identifier.issn	1944-8007
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/152886
dc.description.abstract	The South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ) is the largest rain belt in the Southern Hemisphere and a key driver of precipitation variability, impacting South Pacific island communities. Our millennial-long reconstruction is based on a trans-Pacific tree-ring network, containing chronologies sensitive to changes in the SPCZ because of its pervasive nature, spatial extent, and link to the El Niño-Southern Oscillation. The reconstruction explains 58% of variance in the instrumental SPCZ index from 1911–1998. El Niño-Southern Oscillation cycles are identified throughout the reconstruction period. Multidecadal periodicities wax and wane, coinciding with a sustained eastward shift during the Medieval Climate Anomaly (~1,000–1,200 CE). We find large volcanic eruptions increased the tendency for the SPCZ to be displaced eastward. The reconstruction helps improve our understanding of past hydroclimatic behavior in the southwest Pacific and can be used to validate general circulation model projections for Pacific Island communities and the wider region in the 21st century.
dc.language	English
dc.publisher	AMER GEOPHYSICAL UNION
dc.relation	http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/CE170100015
dc.relation.ispartof	Geophysical Research Letters
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1029/2020GL088238
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess
dc.subject.classification	Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
dc.title	One Thousand Three Hundred Years of Variability in the Position of the South Pacific Convergence Zone
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	47
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/DVC (Research)
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access	*
dc.date.updated	2022-01-11T00:24:07Z
pubs.issue	17
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	47
utslib.citation.issue	17

Abstract:

The South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ) is the largest rain belt in the Southern Hemisphere and a key driver of precipitation variability, impacting South Pacific island communities. Our millennial-long reconstruction is based on a trans-Pacific tree-ring network, containing chronologies sensitive to changes in the SPCZ because of its pervasive nature, spatial extent, and link to the El Niño-Southern Oscillation. The reconstruction explains 58% of variance in the instrumental SPCZ index from 1911–1998. El Niño-Southern Oscillation cycles are identified throughout the reconstruction period. Multidecadal periodicities wax and wane, coinciding with a sustained eastward shift during the Medieval Climate Anomaly (~1,000–1,200 CE). We find large volcanic eruptions increased the tendency for the SPCZ to be displaced eastward. The reconstruction helps improve our understanding of past hydroclimatic behavior in the southwest Pacific and can be used to validate general circulation model projections for Pacific Island communities and the wider region in the 21st century.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/152886