Comments on ‘Influences of the Bermuda High and atmospheric moistening on changes in summer rainfall in the Atlanta, Georgia region, USA’

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn a recent article, Diem (2012) examined the impact of the North Atlantic Subtropical High (NASH) and atmospheric moistening on summer rainfall variability in the Atlanta, Georgia region. In his paper, he indicated that the results concerning the variability of the NASH western ridge discussed in Li et al. (2011) are incorrect. We present new evidence here to show that the comments by Diem (2012) are unjustified; the main conclusions in Li et al. (2011) were drawn according to the data over a 60‐year (1948–2007) and 45‐year (1958–2002) periods of NCEP/NCAR and ERA‐40 reanalysis, whereas conclusions of Diem (2011) were based upon the trend analysis of a similar but different index of the NASH using sub‐periods of 1948–2009 (since late 1970s). The comment emphases the importance of climate dynamics to study precipitation variability over the Southeastern US and further strengthens the conclusions originally put forth in Li et al. (2011): over the last 60 years (1948–2007), the NASH has shown a significant trend of westward movement, and the meridional movement of the NASH western‐ridge (i.e. its latitudinal change) has enhanced in the recent three decades.