IDENTIFYING OSCILLATIONS AND TELECONNECTIONS THAT MAY IMPACT

Abstract

Several oscillations/variations in oceanic and atmospheric circulation patterns are known to influence climate over North America. The most prominent oscillations affecting the conterminous Unites States are the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), the Arctic Oscillation (AO), the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). Limited research has been conducted on the effects of these prominent oscillations on yearly and decadal-scale winter climate over the central portion of the United States. The objective of this study was to attempt to identify which oscillations and teleconnections impacted snowfall over northeast and east central Kansas over the time period 1951-2011. For the purpose of this study, three different calculations of winter snowfall were computed from 1951-2011 for northeast and east central Kansas. Daily station data from the Global Historical Climatology Network were used to derive an October-April time series of 1) frequencies of snowfall events with a trace or more of accumulation, 2) frequencies of snowfall events with six inches or more of accumulation, and 3) snowfall totals. Correlations between the prominent oscillations and these three time series were then investigated to determine if the oscillations influence/impact snowfall patterns within northeast and east central Kansas. Statistical analyses and spatial correlations between the snowfall datasets and oscillations/teleconnections indices revealed ENSO, NAO and PDO may impact snowfall in northeast and east central Kansas.