The variability of the Siberian high ridge over the Middle East

Abstract

An objective method was developed to detect local cells of the Siberian high (SH) over the Middle East, and mean sea level pressure (SLP) data from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research reanalysis dataset were used to specify the centers of local SH cells and associated ridges. The results indicated that approximately 25.8% of winter SH cells influence the Middle East, and this influence diminishes from December to February. Synoptically, the area between the Black and Caspian Seas represents a remote area for sensing the influences of the SH on the Middle East. Although the SH is considered a shallow system, the variability of the effectiveness of the SH throughout the Middle East was estimated from the integration of atmospheric systems at the whole-atmosphere scale (from the surface to 200 hPa). Further, this study demonstrated that the westward extension of the SH over the Middle East is associated with weak cyclogenesis in the area between the Black and Caspian Seas; that is, the atmospheric systems are favourable for strengthening the upper-layer ridge in this area. However, the eastward retreat of the SH extension from the Middle East is associated with strong cyclogenesis in the area between the Black and Caspian Seas; that is, the atmospheric systems are unfavourable for strengthening the upper-layer ridge in this area. This study revealed the importance of the SH in the generation of the pressure gradient over the Arabian Peninsula and the associated development of dust storms and the Red Sea Trough.

Climate Change and Weather Extremes in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East

“…Dust activity exhibits a distinct seasonality with a spring/summer maximum and a winter minimum, driven by synoptic circulation and persistent or seasonal winds like the Shamal and Levar (Bou Karam Francis et al, 2017;Hamidi et al, 2013;Nelli, Fissehaye, et al, 2021;Rashki et al, 2019;Yu et al, 2016). Furthermore, the interrelation of large-scale atmospheric dynamics and teleconnection patterns, changes in sea surface temperature over the Indian Ocean and the Eastern Mediterranean, and displacements of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) affect the intra-seasonal and inter-annual variations of dust activity (Huang et al, 2021;Labban et al, 2021;Yu et al, 2015). Dust also affects the regional seas, for example, the (Gütschow et al, 2016(Gütschow et al, , 2021.…”

“…This peak and decline of CH4 in EMME countries is reconstructed from inventories and was not verified by atmospheric observations, although independent global methane measurements from ice cores suggest that fossil sources of methane peaked during the 1960s-70s and decreased sharply afterwards (Aydin et al, 2011). changes in sea surface temperature over the Indian Ocean and the eastern Mediterranean, and displacements of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) affect the intra-seasonal and interannual variations of dust activity (Yu et al, 2015;Labban et al, 2021;Huang et al, 2021). Dust also affects the regional seas, e.g., the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf (Osipov and Stenchikov, 2018).…”

Long-Term Variability of Dust Events in Southwestern Iran and Its Relationship with the Drought

“…Past and recent studies have provided useful insights about interrelations, triggering forces and weather clusters between synoptic meteorology and dust activity over the region [55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64]. Certain synoptic meteorological conditions associated with high-and low-pressure systems, strong frontal or synoptic wind speeds, low soil moisture, and reduced wet scavenging via precipitation facilitate frequent and intense SDS, as shown from surface measurements and satellite remote sensing [65][66][67][68][69]. Al-Jumaily and Ibrahim [70] analyzed the synoptic conditions of several dust storms over Iraq, while Mashat and Awad [71] studied the synoptic characteristics of the autumn dust storms in northern Saudi Arabia.…”

Neolithic hydroclimatic change and water resources exploitation in the Fertile Crescent

“…Cluster analyses of eastern Mediterranean cyclones also shows that the intensi cation of the SH in uences storm-track trajectories. In particular, a blocking con guration over central Asia and eastern Europe favors a direct eastward route toward southern Anatolia and the northern FC, instead of the usual north-eastward trajectories to the north of the Black Sea [59] . Looking at the paleo-record, the centennial to multi-centennial in uence of the SH-induced cold outbreaks on Eastern Mediterranean conditions can be demonstrated by the consistent timing between increases in the GISP nsK+ content and sea-surface temperature (SST) cooling events in the Aegean Sea [22,48].…”

“…Despite our site being located further from the Mediterranean coast than the Levant, the similarity with the Aegean record suggests that a critical component for the increase in precipitation in the northern FC during intervals of enhanced SH is the effect of cold northerly outbreaks in promoting eastern Mediterranean evaporation and cyclogenesis. In particular, an intensi ed cyclonic circulation increases the advection of moist air towards the north/northeast, whereas the westward expansion of the SH causes a southward shift in storm tracks [59]. These combined effects likely increased the amount of winter precipitation in the northern FC during early Holocene intervals of intensi ed SH, especially between 9.7 and 9.0 ka and between 8.5 and 8.0 ka.…”