Rivers in the Sky: Assessing the Relationship Between Atmospheric Rivers and Extreme Rainfall Events in the Netherlands

Atmospheric rivers (ARs) are long (≥ 2000 kilometers) tropospheric bands ofenhanced water vaportransport that, on average, transport more than double the flow oftheAmazon River. They are responsible for 90% of poleward water vapor transport and have been linked toflooding and extreme rainfall events (EREs). While the impacts of this meteorological phenomenonhave been well-studied in some parts of the world, such as mountainous California, research on ARs in low relief regions is lacking. This study thus determinesto what extentARs are associated with EREs and precipitation in the Netherlands (NL) and whether this relationshipchangesspatially.NL was chosen as the study location as it is experiencing the effects of changing rainfall patterns and is a low-lying country with little relief. AR influences on one coastal city, The Hague, and one inlandcity, Maastrichtwereexamined. The scale of ARs is significantly larger than the surface area of NL, meaning that both cities are often...Show moreAtmospheric rivers (ARs) are long (≥ 2000 kilometers) tropospheric bands ofenhanced water vaportransport that, on average, transport more than double the flow oftheAmazon River. They are responsible for 90% of poleward water vapor transport and have been linked toflooding and extreme rainfall events (EREs). While the impacts of this meteorological phenomenonhave been well-studied in some parts of the world, such as mountainous California, research on ARs in low relief regions is lacking. This study thus determinesto what extentARs are associated with EREs and precipitation in the Netherlands (NL) and whether this relationshipchangesspatially.NL was chosen as the study location as it is experiencing the effects of changing rainfall patterns and is a low-lying country with little relief. AR influences on one coastal city, The Hague, and one inlandcity, Maastrichtwereexamined. The scale of ARs is significantly larger than the surface area of NL, meaning that both cities are often affected by the same AR. Therefore, results between The Hague and Maastricht only differ slightly. By combining AR presence data with precipitation datathis study demonstrated that ~46% of all EREs are accompanied by an AReventin the two cities. Moreover, itwas found that 28.5% and 33.5% of all precipitation iscorrelated with AR occurrencesin The Hague and Maastricht,respectively. Lastly, rain days in Maastricht are1.9% more likely to be accompanied by an AR than in The Hague.This study supports the claim that ARs are an important factor in explaining EREs, which is highly relevant considering the predicted increase in AR occurrences due to climate change.Show less

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Rivers in the Sky: Assessing the Relationship Between Atmospheric Rivers and Extreme Rainfall Events in the Netherlands