A 5000-year record of extreme floods and climate change in the Southwestern United States

Lisa L. Ely; Yehouda Enzel; Victor R. Baker; Daniel R. Cayan

doi:10.1126/science.262.5132.410

A 5000-year record of extreme floods and climate change in the Southwestern United States

Lisa L. Ely, Yehouda Enzel, Victor R. Baker, Daniel R. Cayan

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275 Scopus citations

Abstract

A 5000-year regional paleoflood chronology, based on flood deposits from 19 rivers in Arizona and Utah, reveals that the largest floods in the region cluster into distinct time intervals that coincide with periods of cool, moist climate and frequent El Niño events. The floods were most numerous from 4800 to 3600 years before present (B.P.), around 1000 years B.P., and after 500 years B.P., but decreased markedly from 3600 to 2200 and 800 to 600 years B.P. Analogous modern floods are associated with a specific set of anomalous atmospheric circulation conditions that were probably more prevalent during past flood epochs.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	410-412
Number of pages	3
Journal	Science
Volume	262
Issue number	5132
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1126/science.262.5132.410
State	Published - 1993

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title = "A 5000-year record of extreme floods and climate change in the Southwestern United States",

abstract = "A 5000-year regional paleoflood chronology, based on flood deposits from 19 rivers in Arizona and Utah, reveals that the largest floods in the region cluster into distinct time intervals that coincide with periods of cool, moist climate and frequent El Ni{\~n}o events. The floods were most numerous from 4800 to 3600 years before present (B.P.), around 1000 years B.P., and after 500 years B.P., but decreased markedly from 3600 to 2200 and 800 to 600 years B.P. Analogous modern floods are associated with a specific set of anomalous atmospheric circulation conditions that were probably more prevalent during past flood epochs.",

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AU - Baker, Victor R.

AU - Cayan, Daniel R.

PY - 1993

Y1 - 1993

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AB - A 5000-year regional paleoflood chronology, based on flood deposits from 19 rivers in Arizona and Utah, reveals that the largest floods in the region cluster into distinct time intervals that coincide with periods of cool, moist climate and frequent El Niño events. The floods were most numerous from 4800 to 3600 years before present (B.P.), around 1000 years B.P., and after 500 years B.P., but decreased markedly from 3600 to 2200 and 800 to 600 years B.P. Analogous modern floods are associated with a specific set of anomalous atmospheric circulation conditions that were probably more prevalent during past flood epochs.

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A 5000-year record of extreme floods and climate change in the Southwestern United States

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