Recent intensification of extreme precipitation over East Antarctica driven by increases in greenhouse gases and stratospheric ozone

Chittella, Sai Prabala Swetha; Orr, Andrew; Deb, Pranab; Dalaiden, Quentin

doi:10.5194/tc-20-5005-2026

Articles | Volume 20, issue 9

https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-5005-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-5005-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 20, issue 9

Research article

|

03 Sep 2026

Research article |

| 03 Sep 2026

Recent intensification of extreme precipitation over East Antarctica driven by increases in greenhouse gases and stratospheric ozone

Sai Prabala Swetha Chittella, Andrew Orr, Pranab Deb, and Quentin Dalaiden

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-5005-2026-supplement

Data sets

Polar specific atmospheric river detection algorithm catalogs J. Wille https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15830634

NCAR CESM2 model output prepared for CMIP6 CMIP piControl G. Danabasoglu et al. https://doi.org/10.22033/ESGF/CMIP6.7733

Short summary

Extreme precipitation is a major contributor to total precipitation over Antarctica and its variability. We examined changes in total and extreme precipitation from 1979 to 2023 using reanalysis data and large climate model simulations. Significant increases were found across parts of East Antarctica, with external forcings contributing to these trends. Greenhouse gases and stratospheric ozone were identified as important drivers of precipitation increases in East Antarctica.