Abstract
The relationship between the Indian Ocean High (IOH) and austral autumn (March–May) precipitation variability over Tasmania during 1951–2016 is described. We present evidence that changes in autumn rainfall are influenced primarily by a strength of the Indian Ocean high pressure (IOH_P) and its longitudinal position (IOH_LN). The variation of the IOH shows a clear influence on the seasonal variability of precipitation over Tasmania. The most important factor of autumn precipitation variability is found to be IOH_P system, particularly in the regions neighboring the west coast. Positive anomalies of IOH_P are associated with less precipitation over the island. In addition, the overall eastward shift of the center of the IOH, i.e., IOH_LN, also plays a significant role in rainfall reduction. These two effects are found to be effectively statistically independent with each other. A multi-linear statistical model of autumn precipitation in Tasmania using the IOH_P and IOH_P accounts for 43% of the precipitation variability during 1951–2016. A series of well-defined atmospheric circulation composite analyses are identified during dry (wet) Tasmanian autumn mean sea level pressure, 850 hPa vector wind, and 850 hPa vertical wind velocity over the Indian Ocean. These circulations generate abnormally strong (weak) westerly winds along much of the western Tasmania which is responsible to provide more (less) moisture over Tasmania.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Birner T, Davis SM, Seidel DJ (2014) The changing width of Earth's tropical belt. Phys Today 67:38–44. https://doi.org/10.1063/pt.3.2620
Boschat G, Simmonds I, Purich A, Cowan T, Pezza AB (2016) On the use of composite analyses to form physical hypotheses: an example from heat wave-SST associations. Sci Rep 6:29599. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep29599
Cai W, Cowan T (2013) Southeast Australia autumn rainfall reduction: a climate-change-induced poleward shift of ocean–atmosphere circulation. J Clim 26:189–205
Doherty OM, Riemer N, Hameed S (2008) Saharan mineral dust transport into the Caribbean: observed atmospheric controls and trends. J Geophys Res 113:D07211. https://doi.org/10.1029/2007JD009171
Grise KM, Davis SM, Staten PW, Adam O (2018) Regional and seasonal characteristics of the recent expansion of the tropics. J Clim 31:6839–6856. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-18-0060.1
Grise KM, Davis SM, Simpson IR, Waugh DW, Fu Q, Allen RJ, Rosenlof KH, Ummenhofer CC, Karnauskas KB, Maycock AC, Quan XW, Birner T, Staten PW (2019) Recent tropical expansion: natural variability or forced response? J Clim 32:1551–1571. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-18-0444.1
Grose MR, Barnes-Keoghan I, Corney SP, White CJ, Holz GK, Bennett JB, Gaynor SM, Bindoff NL (2010) Climate futures for Tasmania: general climate impacts technical report. Antarctic Climate & Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre, Hobart, Tasmania
Hameed S, Piontkovski SA (2004) The dominant influence of the Icelandic Low on the position of the Gulf Stream northwall. Geophys Res Lett 31:L09303. https://doi.org/10.1029/2004GL019561
Hameed S, Shi W, Boyle J, Santer B (1995) Investigation of the centers of action in the North Atlantic and North Pacific in the AMIP simulations (Diagnostic Subproject 23). Proceedings of the First International AMIP Scientific Conference, Monterey, California, WCRP, 92: 221
Hameed S, Iqbal MJ, Rehman SU, Collins D (2011) Impact of the Indian Ocean high pressure system on winter precipitation over western and southwestern Australia. Aust Meteor Oceanogr J 61:159–170. https://doi.org/10.22499/2.6103.002
Hill KJ, Santoso A, England MH (2009) Interannual Tasmanian rainfall variability associated with large-scale climate modes. J Clim 22:4383–4397. https://doi.org/10.1175/2009JCLI2769.1
Holland GJ, McBride JL, Nicholls N (1988) Australian region tropical cyclones and the greenhouse effect. Greenhouse: Planning for Climatic Change: Melbourne, CSIRO, 438–4552
Hope P, Grose MR, Timbal B, Dowdy AJ, Bhend J, Katzfey JJ, Bedin T, Wilson L, Whetton PH (2015) Seasonal and regional signature of the projected southern Australian rainfall reduction. Aust Met Oceanogr J 65:54–71
Irving D, Simmonds I (2016) A new method for identifying the Pacific-South American pattern and its influence on regional climate variability. J Clim 29:6109–6125. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-15-0843.1
Jones DA, Wang W, Fawcett R (2009) High-quality spatial climate data-sets for Australia. Aust Meteorol Oceanogr J 58:233–248
Lewis, C.J., Huang, Y., Siems, S.T. and Manton, M.J., 2018: Wintertime orographic precipitation over western Tasmania. J Southern Hemisphere Earth Syst Sci, doi:https://doi.org/10.22499/3.6801.003
Lucas C, Timbal B, Nguyen H (2014) The expanding tropics: a critical assessment of the observational and modeling studies. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews-Climate Change 5:89–112. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc.251
Meneghini B, Simmonds I, Smith IN (2007) Association between Australian rainfall and the Southern Annular Mode. Int J Climatol 27:109–121
Nicholls N (1988) El Nino–southern oscillation and rainfall variability. J Clim 1(4):418–421
Nicholls N (1989) Sea surface temperatures and Australian winter rainfall. Am Meteorol Soc 2:965–973. https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0442(1989)002<0965:SSTAAW>2.0.CO;2
Nicholls N, Wong KK (1990) Dependence of rainfall variability on mean rainfall, latitude, and the Southern Oscillation. J Clim 3:162–170
Rehman SU (2014) Influence of Indian Ocean high pressure on streamflow variability over southwestern Australia. Ann Geophys 57:P0212. https://doi.org/10.4401/ag-6398
Rehman SU, Saleem K, Tayyab N, Nasir H, Zia SS, Ansari WA (2012) The impact of Indian Ocean high pressure system on rainfall and stream flow. Nucleus 49:89–99
Riemer R, Doherty OM, Hameed S (2006) On the variability of African dust transport across the Atlantic. Geophys Res Lett 33:L13814
Risbey JS, Pook MJ, McIntosh PC, Wheeler MC, Hendon HH (2009) On the remote drivers of rainfall variability in Australia. Mon Weather Rev 137:3233–3253
Rossby CG, Collaborators (1939) Relation between variations in the intensity of the zonal circulation of the atmosphere and the displacements of the semi-permanent centers of action. J Mar Res 2:38–55
Rudeva I, Simmonds I (2015) Variability and trends of global atmospheric frontal activity and links with large-scale modes of variability. J Clim 28:3311–3330. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-14-00458.1
Simmonds I (1990) A modelling study of winter circulation and precipitation anomalies associated with Australian region ocean temperatures. Aust Meteor Mag 38:151–162
Simmonds I, Hope P (1997) Persistence characteristics of Australian rainfall anomalies. Int J Climatol 17:597–613. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0088(199705)17:6<597::AIDJOC173>3.0.CO;2-V
Simmonds I, King JC (2004) Global and hemispheric climate variations affecting the Southern Ocean. Antarct Sci 16:401–413. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954102004002226
Simmonds I, Lim E-P (2009) Biases in the calculation of Southern Hemisphere mean baroclinic eddy growth rate. Geophys Res Lett 36:L01707. https://doi.org/10.1029/2008GL036320
Simmonds I, Rocha A (1991) The association of Australian winter climate with ocean temperatures to the west. J Clim 4:1147–1161. https://doi.org/10.1175/15200442(1991)004<1147:TAOAWC>2.0.CO;2
Simmonds I, Keay K, Bye JAT (2012) Identification and climatology of Southern Hemisphere mobile fronts in a modern reanalysis. J Clim 25:1945–1962. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-11-00100.1
Timbal B, Drosdowsky W (2013) The relationship between the decline of Southeastern Australian rainfall and the strengthening of the subtropical ridge. Int J Climatol 33(4):1021–1034
Tozer CR, Risbey JS, O'Kane TJ, Monselesan DP, Pook MJ (2018) The relationship between wave trains in the Southern Hemisphere storm track and rainfall extremes over Tasmania. Mon Weather Rev 146:4201–4230. https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-18-0135.1
Ummenhofer CC, Gupta AS, Pook MJ, England MH (2008) Anomalous rainfall over southwest Western Australia forced by Indian Ocean sea surface temperatures. J Clim 21:5113–5134
Ummenhofer CC, England MH, McIntosh PC, Meyers GA, Pook MJ, Risbey JS, Gupta AS, Taschetto AS (2009a) What causes southeast Australia’s worst droughts? Geophys Res Lett 36:L04706. https://doi.org/10.1029/2008GL036801
Ummenhofer CC, Gupta AS, Taschetto AS, England MH (2009b) Modulation of Australian precipitation by meridional gradients in East Indian Ocean sea surface temperature. J Clim 22:5597–5610
Walland D, Simmonds I (1999) Baroclinicity, meridional temperature gradients, and the southern Semiannual Oscillation. J Clim 12:3376–3382
Wright WJ (1988a) The low latitude influence on winter rainfall in Victoria, Southeastern Australia—I: climatological aspects. J Climatol 8:437–462
Wright WJ (1988b) The low latitude influence on winter rainfall in Victoria, Southeastern Australia—II: relationships with the Southern Oscillation and Australian region circulation. J Climatol 8:547–576
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher’s note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rehman, S.U., Khan, K. & Simmonds, I. Links between Tasmanian precipitation variability and the Indian Ocean subtropical high. Theor Appl Climatol 138, 1255–1267 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-019-02891-z
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-019-02891-z