A multi-model ensemble view of winter heat flux dynamics and the dipole mode in the Mediterranean Sea

Abstract

humidity (e.g., wind advection). A simple reconstruction of the heat flux variability over the deep-water formation regions of the Gulf of Lion and the Aegean Sea reveals that the combination of the monopole and dipole time series explains over 90 % of the heat flux variance in these regions. Given the important role that surface heat flux anomalies play in deep-water formation and the regional climate, improving our knowledge on the dynamics controlling the leading modes of heat flux variability may enhance our predictability of the climate of the Mediterranean area.

Impact of ocean-atmosphere coupling on regional climate: the Iberian Peninsula case

“…Besides coastal processes, conditions in the Mediterranean affect the Iberian climate through the air masses that can penetrate the IP from the east or the southeast (Font-Tullot 2000). In turn, the Mediterranean Sea encompasses a complete thermohaline circulation system, which is influenced by air-sea interaction, the Mediterranean-Atlantic water exchange (Flecker et al 2015) and the North Atlantic large-scale climatic patterns (Liguori et al 2017).…”