Solar motion and discharge of Paraná River, South America: Evidence for a link

• Published in: Geophysical research letters Vol. 38; no. 19
• Main Authors: Antico, A., Kröhling, D. M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-10-2011; American Geophysical Union; John Wiley & Sons, Inc
• Subjects: Americas; Climate; Climate change; Derivatives; Discharge; Earth; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Exact sciences and technology; Freshwater; Geophysics; Links; near-decadal climate variability; Parana River; Regions; River discharge; River flow; River forecasting; Rivers; solar motion; Solar system; South America; Parana River; Argentina, Buenos Aires, Parana R; drainage basins; Anticorrelation; Northern Hemisphere; solar system; river discharge; cycles; climate; angular momentum; Sun; frequency
• ISSN: 0094-8276; 1944-8007
• DOI: 10.1029/2011GL048851

A link between climate and the motion of the Sun around the barycenter of the solar system has been suggested, mostly on the basis of interannual cycles observed in climatological data from the Northern Hemisphere. This study provides empirical evidence for a connection between this solar motion and discharge of the Paraná River, which has the second largest drainage basin of South America. Solar motion is described here by the absolute value of the time derivative of solar angular momentum (∣τ∣). For the time period 1904–2008, the time evolution of both ∣τ∣ and river discharge is dominated by cycles with periods between 7 and 9 yr. Within this frequency band, a statistically significant anticorrelation is found between ∣τ∣ and river discharge with minima of ∣τ∣ coinciding with increased river discharge.
Key Points
First evidence for a link between solar motion and South American rivers
We support the hypothesis that solar motion could affect regional climate
Our results could help to improve long‐term forecasts of river discharge