Climatic controls on the stable isotopic composition of precipitation in Ethiopia

Climatic controls on the stable isotopic composition of precipitation in Ethiopia

Presenter(s)

Colin McTighe

Description

This project aims to determine what major climatic factors control the variation of the stable isotopic composition of precipitation in Ethiopia. In the past, the variations of stable isotopes of precipitation have been linked to the North-South migration of the Intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ). However, recent studies suggested that the link between the ITCZ and the arrival of rainy seasons in Ethiopia do not provide enough explanation for the precipitation isotope values. In this study we examine the stable isotope values of precipitation for four stations throughout Ethiopia from August 2012 – August 2013, and determine how they are affected by a variety of climate factors including: local temperature and precipitation amount, sources of moisture (established through HYSPLIT modeling), convective intensity of moisture source region (estimated by the Outgoing Longwave Radiation (OLR)), wind circulation patterns, and moisture flux and transport. Our results will provide more insight to the control of precipitation isotopes in the tropical region, which is important for accurate interpretation of climate proxy data.

Publication Date

4-18-2018

Project Designation

Capstone Project

Primary Advisor

Shuang-Ye Wu

Primary Advisor's Department

Geology

Keywords

Stander Symposium project

Climatic controls on the stable isotopic composition of precipitation in Ethiopia

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