IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v10y2019i1d10.1038_s41467-019-12062-3.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Deciphering key processes controlling rainfall isotopic variability during extreme tropical cyclones

Author

Listed:
  • Ricardo Sánchez-Murillo

    (Universidad Nacional)

  • Ana M. Durán-Quesada

    (University of Costa Rica)

  • Germain Esquivel-Hernández

    (Universidad Nacional)

  • Daniela Rojas-Cantillano

    (HIDROCEC, Universidad Nacional)

  • Christian Birkel

    (University of Costa Rica
    University of Aberdeen)

  • Kristen Welsh

    (University of The Bahamas)

  • Minerva Sánchez-Llull

    (Centro de Estudios Ambientales de Cienfuegos)

  • Carlos M. Alonso-Hernández

    (Centro de Estudios Ambientales de Cienfuegos)

  • Doerthe Tetzlaff

    (University of Aberdeen
    Humboldt University, Berlin
    IGB Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries)

  • Chris Soulsby

    (University of Aberdeen)

  • Jan Boll

    (Washington State University)

  • Naoyuki Kurita

    (Nagoya University)

  • Kim M. Cobb

    (Georgia Institute of Technology)

Abstract

The Mesoamerican and Caribbean (MAC) region is characterized by tropical cyclones (TCs), strong El Niño-Southern Oscillation events, and climate variability that bring unique hazards to socio-ecological systems. Here we report the first characterization of the isotopic evolution of a TC (Hurricane Otto, 2016) in the MAC region. We use long-term daily rainfall isotopes from Costa Rica and event-based sampling of Hurricanes Irma and Maria (2017), to underpin the dynamical drivers of TC isotope ratios. During Hurricane Otto, rainfall exhibited a large isotopic range, comparable to the annual isotopic cycle. As Hurricane Otto organized into a Category 3, rapid isotopic depletion coupled with a decrease in d-excess indicates efficient isotopic fractionation within ~200 km SW of the warm core. Our results shed light on key processes governing rainfall isotope ratios in the MAC region during continental and maritime TC tracks, with applications to the interpretation of paleo-hydroclimate across the tropics.

Suggested Citation

  • Ricardo Sánchez-Murillo & Ana M. Durán-Quesada & Germain Esquivel-Hernández & Daniela Rojas-Cantillano & Christian Birkel & Kristen Welsh & Minerva Sánchez-Llull & Carlos M. Alonso-Hernández & Doerthe, 2019. "Deciphering key processes controlling rainfall isotopic variability during extreme tropical cyclones," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-10, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:10:y:2019:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-019-12062-3
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-12062-3
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-12062-3
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-019-12062-3?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:10:y:2019:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-019-12062-3. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.