Lagged effects of the Mistral wind on heavy precipitation through ocean-atmosphere coupling in the region of Valencia (Spain)

Abstract

of warm and moist air towards the Mediterranean Spanish coast, possibly leading to HPEs. The depression in the Gulf of Genoa generates intense northerly (Mistral) to northwesterly (Tramontane/Cierzo) winds. In most cases, these intense winds trigger entrainment at the bottom of the oceanic mixed layer which is a mechanism explaining part of the SST cooling in most cases. Our study suggests that the SST cooling due to this strong wind regime then persists until the HPEs and reduces the precipitation intensity.

Editorial for the Med-CORDEX special issue

“…Concerning numerical experiment setting to study medicanes, Gaertner et al (2016) also warn that, generally, medicanes do not occur with the right timing in RCMs or RCSMs, therefore limiting the study of specific cases with these tools. Berthou et al (2016b) confirm with two model pairs the results obtained in Berthou et al (2016a) concerning the influence of sub-monthly SST variations on Mediterranean heavy precipitation events in particular in situations where a Mistral wind event precedes a heavy precipitation event in the Valencia region. Similarly to Gaertner et al (2016) but for extreme precipitations, Cavicchia et al (2016) obtain that the model physics and in particular the convective parameterization is more important for their representation in models than the spatial resolution or the air-sea coupling.…”

Mistral and Tramontane wind systems in climate simulations from 1950 to 2100

“…The frequency of occurrence and intensity of Mistral and Tramontane winds are of great interest not only for risk assessments under changing climatic conditions, but also for scientific reasons. Many case studies have dealt with Mistral and Tramontane events (e.g., Drobinski et al 2005;Berthou et al 2016). Obermann et al (2016) found the sea-level pressure fields associated with Abstract The characteristics of the mesoscale Mistral and Tramontane winds under changing climate conditions are of great interest for risk assessments.…”

Lagrangian dynamics of the mistral during the HyMeX SOP2

“…The mistral is a northerly offshore wind that affects the southeastern France and the Gulf of Lions area (Figure ). It transports cold continental air over the Mediterranean Sea and induces both strong momentum and heat exchanges at the air‐sea interface [ Flamant , ], and sea surface cooling [ Send et al , ; Lebeaupin Brossier and Drobinski , ], which can at times affect following heavy precipitation events over land [ Lebeaupin‐Brossier et al , ; Berthou et al , , , , ]. The mistral sometimes produces coastal upwellings [ Millot , ; Estournel et al , ; Lebeaupin Brossier et al , ].…”