| The upper Mississippi River (UMR) has a long (123-year) record of daily streamflow measurements that are relatively unaffected by anthropogenic influence and is used to study the dynamics of streamflow generation. Three related, self-contained papers are presented that deal with (1) low frequency variability and large-scale climatic impacts, (2) seasonality, and (3) nonlinear dynamical attributes and predictability.;It is found that coherent, structured, quasi-periodic low frequency variations (periods of 2 years and longer) exist in the records of streamflow, precipitation, and temperature. Teleconnections to similar patterns in the hemispheric climate are explored through an analysis of the El Nino/Southern Oscillation, the North Atlantic Oscillation, and the Central North Pacific climate indices. Evidence for changes in the timing and amplitude of seasonal flow and annual flow extremes is presented. Existing tools commonly used for investigating nonlinear dynamical systems are applied to the UMR flow record. |
