Abstract
Atmospheric rivers (ARs), as narrow, dense water vapour paths, play a major role in transferring large volumes of atmospheric humidity compared to their surrounding areas. Accordingly, ARs have significant effects on the atmospheric water cycle and climatic conditions. They are more remarkable in arid and semi-arid regions due to the priority of water resources management and weather extreme effects. This study identified ARs entering Iran as well as their movement paths and synoptic factors affecting their determination. To this end, integrated water vapour transport data was applied to identify ARs for 2007–2018 (November to April). In general, 364 AR events were identified. The results showed that approximately 52% of ARs were directly originated from the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. It was also observed that ARs entered Iran from different paths. By classifying entry paths in terms of location and after conducting synoptic analysis for each path, it was found that the westward or eastward displacement of the Arabian subtropical anticyclone (ASA) and along with the extension pattern of Mediterranean trough was highly important in determining AR paths in the region. Moreover, about 67% of ARs entered the country from south and southwest, respectively, and the highest frequency was in January followed by March.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Akbary M, Salimi S, Hosseini SA, Hosseini M (2019) Spatio-temporal changes of atmospheric rivers in the Middle East and North Africa region. Int J Climatol 39:3976–3986. https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.6052
Baggett C, Lee S, Feldstein S (2016) An investigation of the presence of atmospheric rivers over the North Pacific during planetary-scale wave life cycles and their role in Arctic warming. J Atmos Sci 73:4329–4347. https://doi.org/10.1175/JAS-D-16-0033.1
Blamey RC, Ramos AM, Trigo RM et al (2018) The influence of atmospheric rivers over the South Atlantic on winter rainfall in South Africa. J Hydrometeorol 19:127–142. https://doi.org/10.1175/JHM-D-17-0111.1
Dacre HF, Clark PA, Martinez-Alvarado O et al (2014) How do atmospheric rivers form? Bull Am Meteorol Soc 96:1243–1255. https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-14-00031.1
De Vries AJ, Feldstein SB, Riemer M et al (2016) Dynamics of tropical–extratropical interactions and extreme precipitation events in Saudi Arabia in autumn, winter and spring. Q J R Meteorol Soc 142:1862–1880. https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.2781
Dettinger MD (2013) Atmospheric rivers as drought busters on the U.S. west coast. J Hydrometeorol 14:1721–1732. https://doi.org/10.1175/JHM-D-13-02.1
Dettinger MD, Ralph FM, Das T et al (2011) Atmospheric rivers, floods and the water resources of California. Water 3:445–478. https://doi.org/10.3390/w3020445
Eiras-Barca J, Lorenzo N, Taboada J et al (2018a) On the relationship between atmospheric rivers, weather types and floods in Galicia (NW Spain). Nat Hazards Earth Syst Sci 18:1633–1645. https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-2017-145
Eiras-Barca J, Ramos AM, Pinto JG et al (2018b) The concurrence of atmospheric rivers and explosive cyclogenesis in the North Atlantic and North Pacific basins. Earth Syst Dyn 9:91–102. https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-9-91-2018
Gimeno L, Nieto R, Vázquez M, Lavers DA (2014) Atmospheric rivers : a mini-review. Front Earth Sci 2:1–6. https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2014.00002
Gorodetskaya IV, Tsukernik M, Claes K et al (2014) The role of atmospheric rivers in anomalous snow accumulation in East Antarctica. Geophys Res Lett 41:6199–6206. https://doi.org/10.1002/2014GL060881
Guan B, Waliser DE (2015) Detection of atmospheric rivers: evaluation and application of an algorithm for global studies. J Geophys Res 120:12,514–12,535. https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JD024257
Guan B, Molotch NP, Waliser DE et al (2010) Extreme snowfall events linked to atmospheric rivers and surface air temperature via satellite measurements. Geophys Res Lett 37:2–7. https://doi.org/10.1029/2010GL044696
Junker NW, Grumm RH, Hart R et al (2008) Use of normalized anomaly fields to anticipate extreme rainfall in the mountains of northern California. Weather Forecast 23:336–356. https://doi.org/10.1175/2007WAF2007013.1
Kamae Y, Mei W, Xie S-P (2017) Climatological relationship between warm season atmospheric rivers and heavy rainfall over East Asia. J Meteorol Soc Japan Ser II 95:411–431. https://doi.org/10.2151/jmsj.2017-027
Karim M, Farajzadeh M (2012) Moisture flux and spatial -temporal patterns of moisture supply resources in precipitation of Iran. Sci Journals Manag Syst 22:109 www.noormags.ir/view/fa/articlepage/1015141
Lashkari H (2002) Tracking sudaneanlow systems entering Iran. MODARRES Hum Sci 6:133–156 www.sid.ir/En/Journal/ViewPaper.aspx?ID=22211
Lashkari H, Mohamadi Z (2015) The role of Saudi Arabian sub-tropical high pressure on the rainfall systems on south and southwest Iran. Phys Geogr Res Q 47:73–90. https://doi.org/10.22059/jphgr.2015.53679
Lashkari H, Mohammadi Z (2018) Study on the role of annual movements of Arabian subtropical high pressure in the late start of precipitation in southern and southwestern Iran. Theor Appl Climatol 137:1–8. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-018-2716-x
Lashkari H, Matkan A, Azadi M, Mohamadi Z (2017) Synoptic analysis of the role of Saudi Arabia subtropical high pressure subtropical and polar jet streams and severe droughts in south and south west of Iran. J Res Earth Sci 8:141–163 https://www.magiran.com/paper/1870654?lang=en. Accessed 27 Nov 2016
Lashkari H, Matkan A, Azadi M, Mohamadi Z (2018) Synoptic patterns lead to premature precipitation in the south and south west of Iran during the period (1979-2015). Geogr Plan 22:247–266 https://journals.tabrizu.ac.ir/article_7892.html. Accessed 18 Feb 2017
Lavers DA, Villarini G (2013) Atmospheric rivers and flooding over the Central United States. J Clim 26:7829–7836. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-13-00212.1
Lavers DA, Allan RP, Wood EF et al (2010) Winter floods in Britain are connected to atmospheric rivers. Geophys Res Lett 38:1–8. https://doi.org/10.1029/2011GL049783
Lavers DA, Villarini G, Allan RP et al (2012) The detection of atmospheric rivers in atmospheric reanalyses and their links to British winter floods and the large-scale climatic circulation. J Geophys Res Atmos 117:1–13. https://doi.org/10.1029/2012JD018027
Liberato MLR, Ramos AM, Trigo RM et al (2012) Moisture sources and large-scale dynamics associated with a flash flood event. Geophys Monogr Ser 200:111–126. https://doi.org/10.1029/2012GM001244
Martinković M, Strelec Mahović N, Mikuš Jurković P, Renko T, Pelajić I, Smiljanić I (2017) Relationship between atmospheric rivers and extreme precipitation events BT - perspectives on atmospheric sciences. In: Bais A, Nastos PT (eds) Karacostas T. Springer International Publishing, Cham, pp 385–390. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-35095-0_54
Miller DK, Hotz D, Winton J, Stewart L (2017) Investigation of atmospheric rivers impacting the Pigeon River basin of the southern Appalachian Mountains. Weather Forecast 33:283–299. https://doi.org/10.1175/WAF-D-17-0060.1
Mohammadi Z, Lashkari H (2018) Effects of spatial movement of Arabia subtropical high pressure and subtropical jet on synoptic and thermodynamic patterns of intense wet years in the south and south west Iran. Phys Geogr Res Q 50:491–509. https://doi.org/10.22059/jphgr.2018.249422.1007165
Mundhenk BD, Barnes EA, Maloney ED (2016) All-season climatology and variability of atmospheric river frequencies over the North Pacific. J Clim 29:4885–4903. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-15-0655.1
Neiman PJ, Ralph FM, Wick GA et al (2008) Meteorological characteristics and overland precipitation impacts of atmospheric rivers affecting the west coast of North America based on eight years of SSM/I satellite observations. J Hydrometeorol 9:22–47. https://doi.org/10.1175/2007JHM855.1
Newell RE, Newell NE, Zhu Y, Scott C (1992) Tropospheric rivers?–A pilot study. Geophys Res Lett 19:2401–2404. https://doi.org/10.1029/92GL02916
Papineau J, Holloway E (2012) The dry side of atmospheric rivers in Alaska. Anchorage forecast off res pap NOAA/NWS/ARH Available online http//citeseerx ist psu edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.729.4947:1–9
Ralph FM, Dettinger MD (2011) Storms floods and ARs. EOS Trans Am Geophys Union 92:2009–2011. https://doi.org/10.1029/2011EO320001
Ralph FM, Neiman PJ, Wick GA (2004) Satellite and CALJET aircraft observations of atmospheric rivers over the eastern North Pacific Ocean during the winter of 1997/98. Mon Weather Rev 132:1721–1745. https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0493(2004)132<1721:sacaoo>2.0.co;2
Ralph FM, Neiman PJ, Wick GA et al (2006) Flooding on California’s Russian River: role of atmospheric rivers. Geophys Res Lett 33:3–7. https://doi.org/10.1029/2006GL026689
Ralph FM, Iacobellis SF, Neiman PJ et al (2017) Dropsonde observations of total integrated water vapor transport within North Pacific atmospheric rivers. J Hydrometeorol 18:2577–2596. https://doi.org/10.1175/JHM-D-17-0036.1
Ralph FM, Dettinger MD, Cairns MM et al (2018) Defining “atmospheric river”: how the glossary of meteorology helped resolve a debate. Bull Am Meteorol Soc 99:837–839. https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-17-0157.1
Ramos AM, Trigo RM, Liberato MLR, Tomé R (2015) Daily precipitation extreme events in the Iberian Peninsula and its association with atmospheric rivers*. J Hydrometeorol 16:579–597. https://doi.org/10.1175/jhm-d-14-0103.1
Reason CJC, Tomé R, Trigo RM et al (2017) The influence of atmospheric rivers over the South Atlantic on winter rainfall in South Africa. J Hydrometeorol 19:127–142. https://doi.org/10.1175/jhm-d-17-0111.1
Rivera ER, Dominguez F, Castro CL (2013) Atmospheric rivers and cool season extreme precipitation events in the Verde River basin of Arizona. J Hydrometeorol 15:813–829. https://doi.org/10.1175/jhm-d-12-0189.1
Rutz JJ, Steenburgh WJ (2012) Quantifying the role of atmospheric rivers in the interior western United States. Atmos Sci Lett 13:257–261. https://doi.org/10.1002/asl.392
Rutz JJ, Steenburgh WJ, Ralph FM (2014) Climatological characteristics of atmospheric rivers and their inland penetration over the Western United States. Mon Weather Rev 142:905–921. https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-13-00168.1
Ryoo J-M, Waliser DE, Fetzer EJ (2011) Trajectory analysis on the origin of air mass and moisture associated with atmospheric rivers over the west coast of the United States. Atmos Chem Phys Discuss 11:11109–11142. https://doi.org/10.5194/acpd-11-11109-2011
Salimi S, Saligheh M (2016) The effects of atmospheric Rivers on Iran climate. Phys Geogr Res Q 48:12–13 www.sid.ir/En/Journal/ViewPaper.aspx?ID=648918
Shademani N (2016) Investigation of the existence and role of atmospheric rivers in creating flood in the west and south of Iran (case study: Floods 9 and 21 Nov. 2015). Shahrekord University. https://ganj-old.irandoc.ac.ir/articles/951196
Stohl A, Forster C, Sodemann H (2008) Remote sources of water vapor forming precipitation on the Norwegian west coast at 60°N - a tale of hurricanes and an atmospheric river. J Geophys Res Atmos 113:1–13. https://doi.org/10.1029/2007JD009006
Viale M, Nuñez MN (2010) Climatology of winter orographic precipitation over the subtropical Central Andes and associated synoptic and regional characteristics. J Hydrometeorol 12:481–507. https://doi.org/10.1175/2010jhm1284.1
Vitart F, Waliser DE, DeFlorio MJ et al (2018) Global assessment of atmospheric river prediction skill. J Hydrometeorol 19:409–426. https://doi.org/10.1175/jhm-d-17-0135.1
Waliser D, Guan B (2017) Extreme winds and precipitation during landfall of atmospheric rivers. Nat Geosci 10:179–183. https://doi.org/10.1038/NGEO2894
Zhu Y, Newell RE (1998) A proposed algorithm for moisture fluxes from atmospheric Rivers. Mon Weather Rev 126:725–735. https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0493(1998)126<0725:APAFMF>2.0.CO;2
Acknowledgements
We acknowledge the University of Shahid Beheshti (SBU) for partial support of this work.
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
Esfandiari, N., Lashkari, H. Identifying atmospheric river events and their paths into Iran. Theor Appl Climatol 140, 1125–1137 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-020-03148-w
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-020-03148-w