Date of Award

12-1-2023

Language

English

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College/School/Department

Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences

Dissertation/Thesis Chair

Justin Minder

Committee Members

Ryan Torn, Robert Fovell, Kara Sulia, Rene Garreaud

Keywords

Andes, Atmospheric rivers, Orographic Precipitation, Rain shadow effect, South America

Subject Categories

Atmospheric Sciences

Abstract

Extratropical South-America (30-40°S) varies significantly in topography, including a coastal mountain range with elevation from 700-1300 m, a central valley, and the Andes, with elevation from 1000-2500 m on the western side of the continent. The topography of the area can disrupt frontal systems approaching from the Pacific Ocean, leading to enhanced orographic precipitation over the windward slope of the Andes and a sharp rain shadow, with less precipitation in the leeside. These phenomena are also observed over the coastal mountains of south-central Chile. The main goals of this study are to characterize and understand orographic precipitation and rain shadow strength across the southern Andes and to analyze the utility of different datasets and tools to compensate for the limited long-term precipitation records and high-elevation data over this mountainous region.

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