Abstract
CR Climate Research Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsSpecials CR 63:157-170 (2015) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/cr01288 Climate change, Pacific climate drivers and observed precipitation variability in Tahiti, French Polynesia M. Hopuare1,2,*, M. Pontaud2, J.-P. Céron3, P. Ortéga1, V. Laurent4 1GePaSud Laboratory, 98702 Tahiti, French Polynesia 2CNRM GAME UMR 3589, Météo France/CNRS, 31057 Toulouse, France 3Direction de la Climatologie, Météo France, 31057 Toulouse, France 4Direction Inter Régionale de Polynésie Française, Météo France, 98702 Tahiti, French Polynesia *Corresponding author: marania.hopuare@meteo.fr ABSTRACT: This study addresses the low-frequency variability of precipitation and the detection of climate change over Tahiti, a small orographic island in French Polynesia in the tropical South Pacific. The analysis of new homogenized rainfall amounts over the period 1961-2011 shows no significant trend related to climate change, but highlights the interactions between ENSO, the South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ) and rainfall during the latest positive phase of the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO) (1977-1999). During this particular phase, the SPCZ is closer to Tahiti and induces positive large-scale precipitation. On interannual time scales, more frequent and strong El Niño events favour a northward SPCZ migration. This northern position causes a surface flux over Tahiti Island, which forces orographic precipitation on the windward side. During the negative phase of IPO, no clear link is established between SPCZ, ENSO and rainfall variability. KEY WORDS: Rainfall variability · Climate change · ENSO · South Pacific Convergence Zone · SPCZ · Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation · IPO · Tahiti Full text in pdf format PreviousCite this article as: Hopuare M, Pontaud M, Céron JP, Ortéga P, Laurent V (2015) Climate change, Pacific climate drivers and observed precipitation variability in Tahiti, French Polynesia. Clim Res 63:157-170. https://doi.org/10.3354/cr01288 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in CR Vol. 63, No. 2. Online publication date: April 29, 2015 Print ISSN: 0936-577X; Online ISSN: 1616-1572 Copyright © 2015 Inter-Research.
Highlights
Situated in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, Tahiti (~17.5° S, 149.5° W), the biggest island of French Polynesia, enjoys a tropical climate
2 main regimes prevail: (1) precipitation associated with the presence of the South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ), and (2) orographic precipitation caused by moist air brought by the trade winds, which induce higher rainfall on the windward side of Tahiti
During an El Niño event, i.e. a warm phase of ENSO, the region of high SSTs of the western Pacific expands eastward beyond the date line and the SPCZ is shifted equatorward. This shift favours the presence of the SPCZ in the vicinity of French Polynesia, suggesting positive rainfall anomalies in Tahiti
Summary
Situated in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, Tahiti (~17.5° S, 149.5° W), the biggest island of French Polynesia, enjoys a tropical climate. During an El Niño event, i.e. a warm phase of ENSO, the region of high SSTs of the western Pacific expands eastward beyond the date line and the SPCZ is shifted equatorward (northeast) This shift favours the presence of the SPCZ in the vicinity of French Polynesia, suggesting positive rainfall anomalies in Tahiti. During a La Niña event or a cold ENSO phase, the mean convection over the ‘warm pool’ region is enhanced and the SPCZ is displaced poleward (southwest) This tilt causes the SPCZ to be located further away from French Polynesia, implying negative rainfall anomalies in Tahiti. The objectives of the present study were: (1) to properly characterize the main precipitation patterns in Tahiti associated with the seasonal cycle and with lower-frequency basin-wide oscillations using a new and high-quality data set; and (2) to look for any climate trend signature
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