The influence of large dams on surrounding climate and precipitation patterns

Understanding the forcings exerted by large dams on local climate is key to establishing if artificial reservoirs inadvertently modify precipitation patterns in impounded river basins. Using a 30 year record of reanalysis data, the spatial gradients of atmospheric variables related to precipitation...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical research letters 2011-02, Vol.38 (4), p.np-n/a
Main Authors: Degu, Ahmed Mohamed, Hossain, Faisal, Niyogi, Dev, Pielke Sr, Roger, Shepherd, J. Marshall, Voisin, Nathalie, Chronis, Themis
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Arid climates
Aridity
artificial reservoirs
Basins
Climate
Climate change
CLIMATES
DAMS
Earth
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
EVAPORATION
Exact sciences and technology
Extreme weather
Freshwater
Humid climates
HUMIDITY
HYDRO ENERGY
Hydrology
large dams
Potential energy
PRECIPITATION
RAIN
reanalysis
Reservoirs
River basins
RIVERS
Semiarid climates
Shorelines
Specific humidity
STORMS
Watersheds
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Summary:Understanding the forcings exerted by large dams on local climate is key to establishing if artificial reservoirs inadvertently modify precipitation patterns in impounded river basins. Using a 30 year record of reanalysis data, the spatial gradients of atmospheric variables related to precipitation formation are identified around the reservoir shoreline for 92 large dams of North America. Our study reports that large dams influence local climate most in Mediterranean, and semi‐arid climates, while for humid climates the influence is least apparent. Clear spatial gradients of convective available potential energy, specific humidity and surface evaporation are also observed around the fringes between the reservoir shoreline and farther from these dams. Because of the increasing correlation observed between CAPE and extreme precipitation percentiles, our findings point to the possibility of storm intensification in impounded basins of the Mediterranean and arid climates of the United States.
ISSN:0094-8276
1944-8007
DOI:10.1029/2010GL046482