Interannual variability of Central European mean temperature in January-February and its relation to large-scale circulation

• Published in: Climate Research
• Main Authors: Werner, P., Von Storch, H.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 1993
• Subjects: North Atlantic
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/21.11116/0000-0001-87E4-5; http://hdl.handle.net/21.11116/0000-0001-87E6-3; http://hdl.handle.net/21.11116/0000-0001-87E7-2

The Central European temperature distribution field, as given by 11 stations [Fano, Hamburg, Potsdam, Jena, Frankfurt, Uccle, Hohenpeissenberg, Praha (Prague), Wien (Vienna), Zurich and Geneve (Geneva)], is analyzed with respect to its year-to-year variability. January-February (JF) average temperatures are considered for the interval 1901-1980. An Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) analysis reveals that the JF temperature variability is almost entirely controlled by one entirely positive EOF. The relationship of the temperature field to large-scale circulation, represented by the North Atlantic/European sea-level pressure (SLP) field, is investigated by means of a Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA). Two CCA pairs are identified which account for most of the temperature year-to-year variance. The CCA pairs fail, however, to consistently link the long-term temperature trends to changes in the large-scale circulation. -from Authors