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Abstract Natural decadal climate variability in the Pacific, such as the Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO) or the interdecadal Pacific oscillation (IPO), plays a powerful role in evolving global hydroclimate on decadal time scales. Recent generations of general circulation models (GCMs) have been found to simulate the spatial pattern of the PDO well but struggle to capture temporal variability on decadal time scales. To use GCMs to project future climate, we must understand the degree to which climate models can successfully reproduce historical PDO and IPO spatial patterns, temporal behavior, and influence on hydroclimate. We calculate PDO and IPO spatial patterns and time series using 16 models within the CMIP6 archive, all with large (n≥ 10) ensembles, and compare them to observations in an integrated assessment of models’ ability to represent Pacific decadal variability spatiotemporally. All models underestimate decadal variability in the PDO and IPO and have a westward bias in their PDO and IPO North Pacific SST anomalies. We also evaluate hydroclimate teleconnections of the PDO and IPO in models using PDO- and IPO-associated precipitation, circulation, low-cloud, and vapor pressure deficit anomalies. We show that models’ underpowered decadal variability in the Pacific is consistent with their inability to reproduce large-amplitude decadal swings in precipitation in southwestern North America and that models are virtually unable to produce a 30-yr precipitation trend in the southwest of the magnitude observed from 1982 to 2011. We emphasize the importance of model fidelity in simulating Pacific decadal variability for accurate representation of decadal-scale hydroclimate change in Pacific-teleconnected land regions.
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This content will become publicly available on May 7, 2026
Multi-time scale analysis of the water level minima in Lake Titicaca over the past 103 years
Lowest events in Lake Titicaca’s water level (LTWL) significantly impact local ecosystems and the drinking water supply in Peru and Bolivia. However, the hydroclimatic mechanisms driving extreme lake-level lowstands remain poorly understood. To investigate these low lake-level events, we analyzed detrended monthly LTWL anomalies, sea surface temperature (SST) datasets covering the period 1921–2023. ERA5 reanalysis covers the period 1940–2023. A multiple linear regression model was developed to compute detrended LTWL anomalies, excluding multidecadal and residual components. Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO) and Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) indices were also analyzed for the same period. Results indicate that 25% of all LTWL minima events have a short duration of <5 months, while the remaining 75% of all events have a long duration of more than 9 months, respectively. All long-lived LTWL minima events are associated with reduced moisture flow from the Amazon basin toward Lake Titicaca, but the large-scale forcing varies with the phase change of the decadal component in the 11–15 years band of the PDO (PDO11–15 years). Under warm PDO11–15 yearsphases, LTWL minima are driven by an enhanced South American low-level jet (SALLJ) caused by warm SST anomalies over the eastern Pacific Ocean. Warm SST anomalies over tropical North Atlantic and central Pacific cold events, which reinforce the cold PDO11–15 yearsphases, driving long-lived LTWL minima through the reduction of SALLJ. Conversely, long-lived LTWL minima events under neutral PDO11–15 yearsphases are caused by westerly flow anomalies confined to the Peruvian Altiplano. Therefore, PDO and IPO do not drive long-lived LTWL minima events because their relationship does not remain consistent over time. In conclusion, long-lived LTWL minima events exhibit a regional nature and are not driven by the PDO or IPO, as LTWL shows no consistent relationship with these decadal SST modes over time.
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- PAR ID:
- 10646340
- Publisher / Repository:
- Frontiers
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Frontiers in Climate
- Volume:
- 7
- ISSN:
- 2624-9553
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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