Mudiar et al. (2026) What Drives Precipitation Intensification During Zonal Atmospheric Rivers Landfalling in the Extratropical Andes?

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Geophysical Research Letters
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-07-11
• Authors: Dipjyoti Mudiar, Cristian Martinez‐Villalobos, Raul A. Valenzuela, Roberto Rondanelli
• DOI: 10.1029/2025gl119839

Research Groups

• Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Chile
• Climate Change Research Center, University of Melbourne

Short Summary

This study investigates the drivers of precipitation intensification during atmospheric river (AR) landfall in the extratropical Andes, highlighting the importance of orographic lifting and atmospheric instabilities. The research demonstrates that strong ascent and efficient release of instabilities lead to amplified precipitation over steep terrain.

Objective

• Investigate the mechanisms driving precipitation intensification during AR landfall in the extratropical Andes

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Zonally elongated ARs (ZARs) impacting the extratropical Andes
• Temporal Scale: 50 selected AR events

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Not specified
• Data sources: Satellite observations, reanalysis data

Main Results

• Precipitation amplification over the Andes is largely associated with strong ascent produced by orographic lifting of ZAR flow.
• Atmospheric instabilities are further strengthened by large surface relative humidity ().
• Moisture convergence and terrain-modulated heat advection lead to an increase in over steep Andean terrain.

Contributions

This study provides new insights into the drivers of precipitation intensification during AR landfall, emphasizing the importance of orographic lifting and atmospheric instabilities. The findings highlight the need for improved understanding of moisture and heat transport to accurately estimate precipitation intensification.

Funding

• This research was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under grant number 2021234.
• Additional support provided by the Australian Research Council (ARC) through grant DP190101505.

Citation

@article{Mudiar2026What,
  author = {Mudiar, Dipjyoti and Martinez‐Villalobos, Cristian and Valenzuela, Raul A. and Rondanelli, Roberto},
  title = {What Drives Precipitation Intensification During Zonal Atmospheric Rivers Landfalling in the Extratropical Andes?},
  journal = {Geophysical Research Letters},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1029/2025gl119839},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1029/2025gl119839}
}