Relations between winter atmospheric circulation and annual streamflow in the western United States

Abstract

Winter mean 700 millibar (700 mb) height anomalies, representing the average atmospheric circulation during the snow season, were compared with annual streamflow measured at 140 stream gauges in the western United States. Correlation analysis was used to identify relations between winter mean atmospheric circulation and annual streamflow, and to quantify the degree to which the temporal variability in annual streamflow can be attributed to variations in winter mean atmospheric circulation. Results indicate that winter mean 700 mb height anomalies account for a statistically significant portion of the temporal variability in annual streamflow in the western United States. Results also indicate that long-term trends in annual streamflow are related to long-term trends in winter mean 700 mb height anomalies. -from Author