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The increase in September precipitation in the Mediterranean region as a result of changes in atmospheric circulation

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Abstract

The study analyzes changes in September precipitation in the Mediterranean region and their possible causes. The research period is 1950–2014. The main finding is that the reduction in aerosol pollution over Europe in the late twentieth century has led to an upward shift of air temperatures in the region, which in turn has reduced the meridional temperature gradient, leading to weakening and shift to the north of the Azores High (the north end of Hadley circulation). This northward shift placed the Mediterranean region in an area with decreasing SLP, which results in an increase in the number or intensity of cyclones, increase in cloudiness and precipitation and a decrease in air temperatures. In the period 1995–2014 the region (especially its eastern part) lies within the boundaries of Inter Tropical Convergence Zone in September.

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Acknowledgments

The NCEP Reanalysis data, COBE SST data and PRECL Precipitation data are provided by the NOAA/OAR/ESRL PSD, Boulder, Colorado, USA, from their web site at http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/psd/.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute of Geophysics, Geodesy and Geography, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Akad. G. Bonchev Str., Bl.3, Room 327, 1113, Sofia, Bulgaria

    Peter Nojarov

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  1. Peter Nojarov
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Correspondence to Peter Nojarov.

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Responsible Editor: L. Gimeno.

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Nojarov, P. The increase in September precipitation in the Mediterranean region as a result of changes in atmospheric circulation. Meteorol Atmos Phys 129, 145–156 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00703-016-0463-z

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