Mock, C. J. (2006) Some comments on reconstructing the historical climate of California, USA. Il nuovo cimento C, 29 (1). pp. 55-63. ISSN 1826-9885
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Abstract
This paper describes some examples of historical climate reconstruction pertaining to California, USA, focusing mostly on winter climate given the expected strongest teleconnection signals for this season. Climatic data consist of early instrumental data from the US Army Surgeon General at military forts, observers of the Smithsonian Institution, the Signal Service, and some private observers. Documentary (non-instrumental) data were also used in assessing extreme events. Original daily records of these data were carefully assessed for discontinuities from examining diurnal temperature ranges and daily precipitation amounts. The climatic reconstructions conducted were as follows: 1) winter precipitation time series for selected locations since 1850, particularly for Sacramento and San Francisco, 2) winter temperature time series for selected locations since 1850, and 3) analyses of an extreme flooding event in January 1862 and a landfalling tropical cyclone of September 1939. Results indicate distinctive wetter winters for central and northern California in the late nineteenth century, and some of these wetter years correspond to well-known very strong El Ni˜no events. Connections to weaker El Ni˜no and La Ni˜na events, however, are not clearly evident. The flood of January 1862 is considered unprecedented when compared to other floods of the last 130 years. The reconstruction of a landfalling tropical cyclone for September 1939 near Los Angeles suggests its intensity at just below hurricane strength.
| Item Type: | Article |
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| Additional Information: | Paper presented at the Workshop on “Historical Reconstruction of Climate Variability and Change in Mediterranean Regions”, Bologna, October 5-6, 2004. |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Climatology ; Weather analysis and prediction ; North America |
| Subjects: | 500 Scienze naturali e Matematica > 550 Scienze della Terra > 551.6 Climatologia e tempo atmosferico (Classificare qui i lo studio dei Cambiamenti climatici) |
| Depositing User: | Marina Spanti |
| Date Deposited: | 18 Mar 2020 16:15 |
| Last Modified: | 18 Mar 2020 16:15 |
| URI: | http://eprints.bice.rm.cnr.it/id/eprint/16018 |
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