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Influence of sea surface temperature on the European heat wave of 2003 summer. Part I: an observational study

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Abstract

The heat wave affecting Europe during summer of 2003 is analyzed in detail with observational and reanalysis data. Surface, middle and upper troposphere analysis reveal particular circulation patterns related to an atmospheric blocking condition. In general seasonal anomalies, like this intense heat wave, are strongly related to boundary conditions. Composites and empirical orthogonal functions analysis provide evidence for an organized structure in the sea surface temperature (SST) anomaly field: high SSTs in the Mediterranean basin, the North Sea and further north toward the Arctic Circle were observed mainly in the months of June and August. The outcome of this analysis on observational data shows the SST as one of the possible factors in enhancing the heat wave in the European area.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank O. Reale for his precious help in this research and J. Kinter and M. Fennessy for discussions and comments on this study. Thanks also to the Climate Dynamics department at George Mason University and COLA for providing access to their data set. This research was supported by the Research grant FISR-CMCC (Fondo Integrativo Speciale per la Ricerca of the Centro Euro-Mediterraneo per i Cambiamenti Climatici).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Strada Costiera 11, 34151, Trieste, Italy

    Laura Feudale

  2. Center for Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Studies, Calverton, MD, USA

    Laura Feudale

  3. George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA

    Jagadish Shukla

  4. Institute of Global Environment and Society, Calverton, MD, USA

    Jagadish Shukla

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  1. Laura Feudale
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  2. Jagadish Shukla
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Correspondence to Laura Feudale.

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Feudale, L., Shukla, J. Influence of sea surface temperature on the European heat wave of 2003 summer. Part I: an observational study. Clim Dyn 36, 1691–1703 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-010-0788-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-010-0788-0

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