Assessment of an ensemble of ocean–atmosphere coupled and uncoupled regional climate models to reproduce the climatology of Mediterranean cyclones

Flaounas, Emmanouil; Kelemen, Fanni Dóra; Wernli, Heini; Gaertner, Miguel Ángel; Reale, Marco; Sánchez-Gómez, Emilia; Lionello, Piero; Calmanti, Sandro; Podraščanin, Zorica; Somot, Samuel; Akhtar, Naveed; Romera, Raquel; Conte, Dario

doi:10.1007/s00382-016-3398-7

Cited by 44 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 87 publications

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“…WM Sea with contrasting cyclogenesis mechanisms in different seasons (Campins et al, 2010;Flaounas et al, 2018;Lionello et al, 2016;Trigo et al, 1999;Trigo et al, 2002). These regions are the Gulf of Genoa/Ligurian Sea and Northern Italy, the Adriatic Sea and Dinaric Alps, the Iberian Peninsula and North African Coast ( Figure 1 and Table 1).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vb Cyclones Synchronized With the Arctic‐/North Atlantic Oscillation

Hofstätter

Blöschl²

2019

JGR Atmospheres

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Vb cyclones typically emerge in the Western Mediterranean and propagate to the Northeast into Central Europe. This paper explores the temporal characteristics of Vb cyclone occurrence based on cyclone tracks identified at the atmospheric levels of Z700 and sea level pressure, using JRA‐55 reanalysis data for the period 1959–2015. The risk of Vb occurrence was significantly high in the 1960s and has remained at a lower level since then. Vb cyclones do not occur fully randomly according to a Poisson point process. Eleven well‐separated and distinct clusters as well as 11 hiatus periods are identified, with average occurrence rates of 21.5 and 5.2 yrea −1 , respectively. During the event of Vb, the large‐scale atmospheric circulation is changed into a state favoring the development of successive Vb cyclones. Clustering is very prominent in the case of Genoan Vb cyclones in summer as well as those Vb cyclones developing over the Iberian Peninsula or the North African Coast in winter. Superposition of the polar and the subtropical jet stream over the Western Mediterranean is identified as a main feature at the onset of Vb cyclones. Vb cyclone occurrence appears to be synchronized with the Northern Atlantic Oscillation (NAO; at Z500) and Arctic Oscillation (AO; at Z1000). Clusters have occurred when both NAO and AO were negative. This relation applies to Western Mediterranean cyclones not following a Vb track as well, however to a much weaker extent. In contrast, Vb cyclone frequency was particularly low from 1988 to 1997 during a sustained positive phase of both NAO and AO.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vb Cyclones Synchronized With the Arctic‐/North Atlantic Oscillation

Hofstätter

Blöschl²

2019

JGR Atmospheres

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“…This study aims at analyzing the dynamics of the Adriatic‐Ionian‐Aegean Sea system using a multimodel approach. The advantages of using a multimodel approach in the Mediterranean region have been shown in the analysis of heat and salt budget (Harzallah et al, ; Llasses et al, ), but also in analysis of atmospheric circulation over the area (Flaounas et al, ). These studies have shown that a multimodel approach is able to describe the main features and mechanisms driving the atmosphere‐ocean circulation over the Mediterranean region (Ruti et al, ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unexpected Covariant Behavior of the Aegean and Ionian Seas in the Period 1987–2008 by Means of a Nondimensional Sea Surface Height Index

et al. 2017

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In this work, we use a set of recent multiyear simulations to develop a simplified sea surface height index (SSH). The index characterizes the dynamics of Ionian upper layer circulation and its links with sea surface height and salinity in the Southern Adriatic and Aegean Seas during the period 1987–2008. The analysis highlights a covariant behavior between Ionian Sea and Aegean Sea associated with a mutual zonal exchange of water masses with different salinity characteristics. Our analysis confirms that the variability observed in the period 1987–2008 in the upper layer circulation of the Ionian was driven by the salinity variability in the Southern Adriatic and Aegean Sea. This study supports and reinforces the hypothesis that two observed BiOS‐like reversals reflect the existence of multiple equilibrium states in the Mediterranean Thermohaline circulation in the Eastern Mediterranean and that a complete characterization of observed variability needs to take into account a fully coupled Adriatic‐Ionian‐Aegean System.

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“…Each panel refers to a different coastal location (red square). It is evident that cyclone tracks initiate in the well-known cyclogenetic areas located inside and around the Mediterranean Sea (North Africa, south of the Atlas Mountains, Gulf of Genoa, Adriatic Sea, Cyprus area, Black Sea area) and in the northeastern Atlantic (H.M.S.O., 1962;Alpert et al, 1990;Trigo et al, 1999Trigo et al, , 2002Maheras et al, 2001;Lionello et al, 2002Lionello et al, , 2016Garcies and Homar, 2011;Nissen et al, 2010;Campins et al, 2011;Reale and Lionello, 2013). The prevalent motion of the cyclone centre is southeastwards along the Mediterranean branch of the Mediterranean storm track.…”

Section: Cyclone Tracks Associated With Large Sea Level Anomaliesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The MR is indeed characterised by a high frequency of cyclogenesis processes, in particular in areas such as the lee of the Alps and Atlas Mountains, the northern Aegean Sea, Cyprus area, the Black Sea, and the Iberian Peninsula. The presence of the Mediterranean branch of the Northern Hemisphere storm track is evident in the results of cyclone tracking methods (Lionello et al, 2016;Flaounas et al, 2016) and it has been extensively studied in the scientific literature (H.M.S.O., 1962;Alpert et al, 1990;Trigo et al, 1999; Figure 1. The Mediterranean region with the coastal stations considered in this study (starting from the west in clockwise direction along the coastline): Alicante, Toulon, Trieste, Dubrovnik, Thessaloniki,İskenderun, Alexandria, Tripoli, Gabès.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The effect of cyclones crossing the Mediterranean region on sea level anomalies on the Mediterranean Sea coast

Lionello

Conte

Reale

2019

Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci.

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Abstract. Large positive and negative sea level anomalies on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea are linked to intensity and position of cyclones moving along the Mediterranean storm track with dynamics involving different factors. This analysis is based on a model hindcast and considers nine coastal stations, which are representative of sea level anomalies with different magnitudes and characteristics. When a shallow water fetch is present, the wind around the cyclone centre is the main cause of positive and negative sea level anomalies, depending on its onshore or offshore direction. The inverse barometer effect produces a positive anomaly on the coast near the cyclone pressure minimum and a negative anomaly at the opposite side of the Mediterranean Sea. The latter is caused by the cross-basin mean sea level pressure gradient that is associated with the presence of a cyclone. This often coincides with the presence of an anticyclone above the station, which causes a local negative inverse barometer effect. Further, at some stations, negative sea level anomalies are reinforced by a residual water mass redistribution within the basin, which is associated with a transient response to the atmospheric pressure forcing. Though the link with the presence of a cyclone in the Mediterranean has comparable importance for positive and negative anomalies, the relation between cyclone position and intensity is stronger for the magnitude of positive events. The area of cyclogenesis, track of the central minimum and position at the time of the event differ depending on the location the sea level anomaly occurs and on its sign. The western Mediterranean is the main cyclogenesis area for both positive and negative anomalies overall. Atlantic cyclones mainly produce positive sea level anomalies in the western basin. At the easternmost stations, positive anomalies are caused by cyclogenesis in the eastern Mediterranean. North African cyclogenesis is a major source of positive anomalies on the central African coast and negative anomalies on the eastern Mediterranean and northern Aegean coasts.

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Assessment of an ensemble of ocean–atmosphere coupled and uncoupled regional climate models to reproduce the climatology of Mediterranean cyclones

Cited by 44 publications

References 87 publications

Vb Cyclones Synchronized With the Arctic‐/North Atlantic Oscillation

Vb Cyclones Synchronized With the Arctic‐/North Atlantic Oscillation

Unexpected Covariant Behavior of the Aegean and Ionian Seas in the Period 1987–2008 by Means of a Nondimensional Sea Surface Height Index

The effect of cyclones crossing the Mediterranean region on sea level anomalies on the Mediterranean Sea coast

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