Tabletop Atmospheric Rivers

Atmospheric rivers (ARs) are long, narrow atmospheric streams that carry upward of 90% of the tropospheric water vapor flux across the midlatitudes, with volumetric flows similar to those of the world's largest rivers. Rainfall associated with ARs can be beneficial – often ending drought cycles in California – but can also be catastrophic by generating flooding events when strong and persistent ARs inundate a given locality, leading them to be of great interest both in scientific and lay communities. Here, we will demonstrate how to make a tabletop analog model of AR formation using a made using our so-called Do-It-Yourself Dynamics (DIYnamics) hands-on rotating fluid dynamics kits. These kits allow users to experientially investigate a broad variety of geophysical fluid flows, including ones as interesting and topical as atmospheric rivers.