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Large-Scale Atmospheric Circulation Favoring Deep- and Intermediate-Water Formation in the Mediterranean Sea

Large-Scale Atmospheric Circulation Favoring Deep- and Intermediate-Water Formation in the Mediterranean Sea
Large-Scale Atmospheric Circulation Favoring Deep- and Intermediate-Water Formation in the Mediterranean Sea
Atmospheric circulation patterns that are conducive to extreme ocean heat loss are investigated at four sites of special interest in the Mediterranean Sea. The Gulf of Lions, the South Adriatic Sea, the Cretan Sea, and the Levantine Sea are areas where anomalously high winter heat loss may lead to deep- or intermediate-water formation. At each of the above sites, the atmospheric circulation during such events is derived by averaging the sea level pressure (SLP) fields during the lower decile of the wintertime series of the net heat exchange. A relatively simple SLP pattern dominated by an anticyclone over northwestern Europe with a weaker cyclone to the southeast is found to be associated with strong heat loss in the selected sites with minor variations in pattern structure depending on the site. The SLP composite pattern reflects the combined effect of different atmospheric modes of variability and the authors consider the impacts on heat loss of a number of these modes (North Atlantic Oscillation, east Atlantic pattern, east Atlantic–west Russia pattern, and Scandinavian pattern), together with the North Sea–Caspian pattern and the Mediterranean index. The extremes in heat loss are strongly connected with the intensity and the positions of the poles of these patterns that modulate, through the necessary SLP gradient and associated northerlies, the transfer of cold and dry air over the areas of dense-water formation. Analysis of air–sea temperature difference, specific humidity, and evaporation anomalies indicates that the extremes of the net heat fluxes are primarily due to the latent and sensible heat flux components.
Mediterranean Sea, Atmospheric circulation, Deep convection, Air-sea interaction, Statistical techniques
0894-8755
6079-6091
Papadopoulos, Vassilis P.
1a7bb473-67a3-4990-94db-645d68eac593
Josey, Simon A.
2252ab7f-5cd2-49fd-a951-aece44553d93
Bartzokas, Aristides
da646e41-1810-43de-a253-6bdd395e4b0c
Somot, Samuel
e9d5b32b-3ab2-44bd-b0da-8e9eaca72478
Ruiz, Simon
62e0a894-7cb1-4add-b0af-5f645ffc6bbe
Drakopoulou, Paraskevi
95e646aa-f74d-48f3-8601-1ad55e0788a5
Papadopoulos, Vassilis P.
1a7bb473-67a3-4990-94db-645d68eac593
Josey, Simon A.
2252ab7f-5cd2-49fd-a951-aece44553d93
Bartzokas, Aristides
da646e41-1810-43de-a253-6bdd395e4b0c
Somot, Samuel
e9d5b32b-3ab2-44bd-b0da-8e9eaca72478
Ruiz, Simon
62e0a894-7cb1-4add-b0af-5f645ffc6bbe
Drakopoulou, Paraskevi
95e646aa-f74d-48f3-8601-1ad55e0788a5

Papadopoulos, Vassilis P., Josey, Simon A., Bartzokas, Aristides, Somot, Samuel, Ruiz, Simon and Drakopoulou, Paraskevi (2012) Large-Scale Atmospheric Circulation Favoring Deep- and Intermediate-Water Formation in the Mediterranean Sea. Journal of Climate, 25 (18), 6079-6091. (doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-11-00657.1).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Atmospheric circulation patterns that are conducive to extreme ocean heat loss are investigated at four sites of special interest in the Mediterranean Sea. The Gulf of Lions, the South Adriatic Sea, the Cretan Sea, and the Levantine Sea are areas where anomalously high winter heat loss may lead to deep- or intermediate-water formation. At each of the above sites, the atmospheric circulation during such events is derived by averaging the sea level pressure (SLP) fields during the lower decile of the wintertime series of the net heat exchange. A relatively simple SLP pattern dominated by an anticyclone over northwestern Europe with a weaker cyclone to the southeast is found to be associated with strong heat loss in the selected sites with minor variations in pattern structure depending on the site. The SLP composite pattern reflects the combined effect of different atmospheric modes of variability and the authors consider the impacts on heat loss of a number of these modes (North Atlantic Oscillation, east Atlantic pattern, east Atlantic–west Russia pattern, and Scandinavian pattern), together with the North Sea–Caspian pattern and the Mediterranean index. The extremes in heat loss are strongly connected with the intensity and the positions of the poles of these patterns that modulate, through the necessary SLP gradient and associated northerlies, the transfer of cold and dry air over the areas of dense-water formation. Analysis of air–sea temperature difference, specific humidity, and evaporation anomalies indicates that the extremes of the net heat fluxes are primarily due to the latent and sensible heat flux components.

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More information

Published date: 2012
Keywords: Mediterranean Sea, Atmospheric circulation, Deep convection, Air-sea interaction, Statistical techniques
Organisations: Marine Systems Modelling

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 344183
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/344183
ISSN: 0894-8755
PURE UUID: 2d08189e-920f-41c8-94ad-3dfa717e57f6

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Date deposited: 11 Oct 2012 16:07
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 12:09

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Contributors

Author: Vassilis P. Papadopoulos
Author: Simon A. Josey
Author: Aristides Bartzokas
Author: Samuel Somot
Author: Simon Ruiz
Author: Paraskevi Drakopoulou

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