Climate Dynamics

, Volume 41, Issue 9–10, pp 2251–2265 | Cite as

Large-scale atmospheric response to eastern Mediterranean summer-autumn SST anomalies and the associated regional impact

  • J. García-Serrano
  • I. Polo
  • B. Rodríguez-Fonseca
  • T. Losada
Article
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Abstract

Since the Mediterranean Sea is halfway between subtropical and middle latitudes, and it represents a marginal oceanic region, research has tended to focus on how large-scale modes of atmospheric variability modulate its surface temperature. Conversely, the present study examines the potential influence of the Mediterranean Sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies on the Northern Hemisphere atmospheric circulation. In particular, this work explores the large-scale changes in the global circulation forced/influenced by the eastern Mediterranean summer-autumn SST pattern. To isolate the atmospheric response, AGCM sensitivity experiments with prescribed SST over the Mediterranean Sea and climatology elsewhere are analysed. Observational diagnostics upon the period used to define the boundary conditions (1979–2002) are also interpreted. Our results support the hypothesis of an atmospheric pattern initiated in the Mediterranean basin, pointing out both a local baroclinic response and a barotropic circumglobal anomaly. This atmospheric teleconnection pattern projects onto a hemispheric wave-like structure, reflecting the waveguide effect of the westerly jets. Results suggest, thereby, that the recurrent summer-autumn circumglobal teleconnection pattern can be excited locally by changes in the atmosphere over the Mediterranean region. A linear behaviour is found upon a regional impact over northeastern Africa. The remote impacts present however a nonlinear signature: anomalous warm conditions influencing on northern Europe and Euro–Asia, whereas anomalous cold conditions impacting more on the North Pacific basin. Limitations in our model setup are also discussed.

Keywords

Rossby Wave Atmospheric Response Summer North Atlantic Oscillation Rossby Wave Source Baroclinic Structure 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Notes

Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. Jucundus Jacobeit (U. of Augsburg, Germany) and Dr. Laurent Li (LMD-IPSL, France) for their constructive comments on the preliminary study presented in the 2nd ESF-MedCLIVAR Workshop. Thanks to Dr. Reindert Haarsma (KNMI, The Netherlands) for useful discussions, and to Dr. Francisco J. Doblas-Reyes (IC3, Spain) for his help in the review process. This research was supported by the European AMMA project from the 6th Framework Research Programme, and the national projects CGL2009-10285 (TRACS) and 2008-00050084028 (MOVAC). Most of the calculation were performed in the SUN cluster donated to TROPA-UCM group under a consortium between the UCM group and SUN MICROSYSTEMS IBERICA. J. G-S gratefully acknowledges the founding from the ESF-MedCLIVAR Programme of grants (EG/1694). T. Losada is currently supported by the postdoctoral program of the campus CYTEMA of the “Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha”. I. Polo has been supported by a postdoctoral fellowship funded by the Spanish Government (MEC) to investigate at U.K. National Centre for Atmospheric Science-Climate (NCAS-Climate) at the University of Reading. The authors thank the anonymous reviewers for their constructive remarks and the editor Dr. Susanna Corti for the help during the review process.

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Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013

Authors and Affiliations

  • J. García-Serrano
    • 1
    • 2
  • I. Polo
    • 2
    • 3
  • B. Rodríguez-Fonseca
    • 2
    • 4
  • T. Losada
    • 2
    • 5
  1. 1.Institut Català de Ciències del Clima (IC3)BarcelonaSpain
  2. 2.Departamento de Geofísica y MeteorologíaUCMMadridSpain
  3. 3.NCAS-ClimateUniversity of ReadingReadingUK
  4. 4.Instituto de Geociencias (IGEO)UCM-CSICMadridSpain
  5. 5.Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales (ICAM)UCLMToledoSpain

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