Anomalous subtropical zonal winds drive decreases in southern Australian frontal rain

Pepler, Acacia S.; Rudeva, Irina

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-4-175-2023

Articles | Volume 4, issue 1

https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-4-175-2023

© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-4-175-2023

© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 4, issue 1

Research article

|

31 Jan 2023

Research article |

| 31 Jan 2023

Anomalous subtropical zonal winds drive decreases in southern Australian frontal rain

Acacia S. Pepler and Irina Rudeva

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-4-175-2023-supplement

Data sets

Merged fronts for Australian subregions A. Pepler https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.20453325.v1

Model code and software

ERA5 hourly data on pressure levels from 1959 to present H. Hersbach, B. Bell, P. Berrisford, G. Biavati, A. Horányi, J. Muñoz Sabater, J. Nicolas, C. Peubey, R. Radu, I. Rozum, D. Schepers, A. Simmons, C. Soci, D. Dee, and J.-N. Thépaut https://doi.org/10.24381/cds.bd0915c6

Short summary

In recent decades, cold fronts have rained less often in southeast Australia, which contributes to decreasing cool season rainfall. The largest changes in front dynamics are found to the north of the area where rain changes. Wet fronts have strong westerly winds that reach much further north than dry fronts do, and these fronts are becoming less common, linked to weakening subtropical winds and changes in the Southern Hemisphere circulation.