Isotopic characteristics and paleoclimate implications of the extreme precipitation event of March 2015 in northern Chile

ABSTRACT Prior to the 24-26 March 2015 extreme precipitation event that impacted northern Chile, the scenarios for Pleistocene and Holocene wetter paleoclimate intervals in the hyperarid core of the Atacama Desert had been attributed to eastern or southwestern moisture sources. The March 2015 precip...

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Autores principales:	Jordan,Teresa E., Herrera L.,Christian, Godfrey,Linda V., Colucci,Stephen J., Gamboa P.,Carolina, Urrutia M.,Javier, González L.,Gabriel, Paul,Jacob F.
Lenguaje:	English
Publicado:	Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería (SERNAGEOMIN) 2019
Materias:	Extreme precipitation Atacama Desert O and H isotopes Chile Paleoclimate Groundwater
Acceso en línea:	http://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0718-71062019000100001
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spelling	oai:scielo:S0718-710620190001000012019-02-18Isotopic characteristics and paleoclimate implications of the extreme precipitation event of March 2015 in northern ChileJordan,Teresa E.Herrera L.,ChristianGodfrey,Linda V.Colucci,Stephen J.Gamboa P.,CarolinaUrrutia M.,JavierGonzález L.,GabrielPaul,Jacob F. Extreme precipitation Atacama Desert O and H isotopes Chile Paleoclimate Groundwater ABSTRACT Prior to the 24-26 March 2015 extreme precipitation event that impacted northern Chile, the scenarios for Pleistocene and Holocene wetter paleoclimate intervals in the hyperarid core of the Atacama Desert had been attributed to eastern or southwestern moisture sources. The March 2015 precipitation event offered the first modern opportunity to evaluate a major regional precipitation event relative to those hypothetical paleoclimate scenarios. It was the first opportunity to determine the 18O and 2H composition of a major precipitation event that might eventually be preserved in geological materials. The driver for the March 2015 event was a synoptic-scale weather system, a cutoff cold upper-level low system that traversed the Pacific Ocean at a time of unusually warm temperatures of Pacific surface water. Ground-based precipitation data, stable isotopes in precipitation and river samples, NCEP/NCAR reanalysis atmospheric data and air mass tracking are utilized to connect the Earth surface processes to atmospheric conditions. The δ18O and δ2Ή of the precipitation and ephemeral rivers were significantly heavier than the rain, snow and ephemeral rivers fed by more frequent but less voluminous precipitation events registered prior to March 2015. Consistent with the atmospheric analyses, the rain isotopic compositions are typical of a water vapor whose source was at more equatorial latitudes of the Pacific and which moved southward. The late March 2015 system was an unforeseen scenario even for El Niño Pacific ocean conditions. Furthermore, the late summer season warmth led to greater potential for erosion and sediment transport than typical of more common moderate precipitation scenarios which usually include widely distributed snow. A comparison of the March 2015 scenario to the spatial distribution of wetter paleoclimate intervals leads to the hypothesis that the March 2015 scenario likely better fits some parts of the paleoclimate record of the continental interior hyperarid Atacama Desert than do the eastern or southwestern moisture source paleoclimate scenarios deduced previously.info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessServicio Nacional de Geología y Minería (SERNAGEOMIN)Andean geology v.46 n.1 20192019-01-01text/htmlhttp://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0718-71062019000100001en10.5027/andgeov46n1-3087
institution	Scielo Chile
collection	Scielo Chile
language	English
topic	Extreme precipitation Atacama Desert O and H isotopes Chile Paleoclimate Groundwater
spellingShingle	Extreme precipitation Atacama Desert O and H isotopes Chile Paleoclimate Groundwater Jordan,Teresa E. Herrera L.,Christian Godfrey,Linda V. Colucci,Stephen J. Gamboa P.,Carolina Urrutia M.,Javier González L.,Gabriel Paul,Jacob F. Isotopic characteristics and paleoclimate implications of the extreme precipitation event of March 2015 in northern Chile
description	ABSTRACT Prior to the 24-26 March 2015 extreme precipitation event that impacted northern Chile, the scenarios for Pleistocene and Holocene wetter paleoclimate intervals in the hyperarid core of the Atacama Desert had been attributed to eastern or southwestern moisture sources. The March 2015 precipitation event offered the first modern opportunity to evaluate a major regional precipitation event relative to those hypothetical paleoclimate scenarios. It was the first opportunity to determine the 18O and 2H composition of a major precipitation event that might eventually be preserved in geological materials. The driver for the March 2015 event was a synoptic-scale weather system, a cutoff cold upper-level low system that traversed the Pacific Ocean at a time of unusually warm temperatures of Pacific surface water. Ground-based precipitation data, stable isotopes in precipitation and river samples, NCEP/NCAR reanalysis atmospheric data and air mass tracking are utilized to connect the Earth surface processes to atmospheric conditions. The δ18O and δ2Ή of the precipitation and ephemeral rivers were significantly heavier than the rain, snow and ephemeral rivers fed by more frequent but less voluminous precipitation events registered prior to March 2015. Consistent with the atmospheric analyses, the rain isotopic compositions are typical of a water vapor whose source was at more equatorial latitudes of the Pacific and which moved southward. The late March 2015 system was an unforeseen scenario even for El Niño Pacific ocean conditions. Furthermore, the late summer season warmth led to greater potential for erosion and sediment transport than typical of more common moderate precipitation scenarios which usually include widely distributed snow. A comparison of the March 2015 scenario to the spatial distribution of wetter paleoclimate intervals leads to the hypothesis that the March 2015 scenario likely better fits some parts of the paleoclimate record of the continental interior hyperarid Atacama Desert than do the eastern or southwestern moisture source paleoclimate scenarios deduced previously.
author	Jordan,Teresa E. Herrera L.,Christian Godfrey,Linda V. Colucci,Stephen J. Gamboa P.,Carolina Urrutia M.,Javier González L.,Gabriel Paul,Jacob F.
author_facet	Jordan,Teresa E. Herrera L.,Christian Godfrey,Linda V. Colucci,Stephen J. Gamboa P.,Carolina Urrutia M.,Javier González L.,Gabriel Paul,Jacob F.
author_sort	Jordan,Teresa E.
title	Isotopic characteristics and paleoclimate implications of the extreme precipitation event of March 2015 in northern Chile
title_short	Isotopic characteristics and paleoclimate implications of the extreme precipitation event of March 2015 in northern Chile
title_full	Isotopic characteristics and paleoclimate implications of the extreme precipitation event of March 2015 in northern Chile
title_fullStr	Isotopic characteristics and paleoclimate implications of the extreme precipitation event of March 2015 in northern Chile
title_full_unstemmed	Isotopic characteristics and paleoclimate implications of the extreme precipitation event of March 2015 in northern Chile
title_sort	isotopic characteristics and paleoclimate implications of the extreme precipitation event of march 2015 in northern chile
publisher	Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería (SERNAGEOMIN)
publishDate	2019
url	http://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0718-71062019000100001
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Isotopic characteristics and paleoclimate implications of the extreme precipitation event of March 2015 in northern Chile

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