The Physical Mechanisms by Which the Leading Patterns of SST Variability Impact U.S. Precipitation

This study uses the NASA Seasonal-to-Interannual Prediction Project (NSIPP-1) AGCM to investigate the physical mechanisms by which the leading patterns of annual mean SST variability impact U.S. precipitation. The focus is on a cold Pacific pattern and a warm Atlantic pattern that exert significant drought conditions over the U.S. continent. The precipitation response to the cold Pacific is characterized by persistent deficits over the Great Plains that peak in summer with a secondary peak in spring, and weakly pluvial conditions in summer over the Southeast (SE). The precipitation response to the warm Atlantic is dominated by persistent deficits over the Great Plains with the maximum deficit occurring in late summer. The precipitation response to the warm Atlantic is overall similar to the response to the cold Pacific with, however, considerably weaker amplitude. An analysis of the atmospheric moisture budget combined with a stationary wave model diagnosis of the associated atmospheric circulation anomalies is conducted to investigate mechanisms of the precipitation responses. A key result is that, while the cold Pacific and warm Atlantic are two spatially distinct SST patterns, they nevertheless produce similar diabatic heating anomalies over the Gulf of Mexico during the warm season. In the case of the Atlantic forcing, the heating anomalies are a direct response to the SST anomalies, whereas in the case of Pacific forcing they are a secondary response to circulation anomalies forced from the tropical Pacific. The diabatic heating anomalies in both cases force an anomalous low-level cyclonic flow over the Gulf of Mexico that leads to reduced moisture transport into the central United States and increased moisture transport into the eastern United States. The precipitation deficits over the Great Plains in both cases are greatly amplified by the strong soil moisture feedback in the NSIPP-1 AGCM. In contrast, the response over the SE to the cold Pacific during spring is primarily associated with an upper-tropospheric high anomaly over the southern United States that is remotely forced by tropical Pacific diabatic heating anomalies, leading to greatly reduced stationary moisture flux convergences and anomalous subsidence in that region. Moderately reduced evaporation and weakened transient moisture flux convergences play secondary roles. It is only during spring that these three terms are all negative and constructively contribute to produce the maximum dry response in spring. The above findings based on the NSIPP-1 AGCM are generally consistent with observations, as well as with four other AGCMs included in the U.S. Climate Variability and Predictability (CLIVAR) project.