Teleconnections between the North Atlantic SST and Mediterranean rainfall

This work analyzes the energy teleconnections observed between Sea Surface Temperature anomalies in the North Atlantic and the cyclogenesis of the western Mediterranean basin. The basin has a high edge and in its central part there is a warm and evaporating sea that is crucial for energy exchanges t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Tethys, Journal of Weather and Climate of the Western Mediterranean
Main Authors: Quereda Sala, José, Montón Chiva, Enrique, Escrig Barberá, José
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Associació Catalana de Meteorologia 2012
Subjects:
Teleconnections
SST
Polar
Mediterranean
Latent heat
Teleconexiones
Mediterráneo
Calor latente
Atmospheric circulation > North Atlantic Ocean
Atmospheric circulation > Mediterranean Sea
Circulació atmosférica—Mediterrània
Mar
Circulació atmosférica—Atlàntic Nord
Oceà
North Atlantic
North Atlantic oscillation
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10234/38494
https://doi.org/10.3369/tethys.2011.8.04
Description
Summary:This work analyzes the energy teleconnections observed between Sea Surface Temperature anomalies in the North Atlantic and the cyclogenesis of the western Mediterranean basin. The basin has a high edge and in its central part there is a warm and evaporating sea that is crucial for energy exchanges that are key for its autarkic climatology. This could be the reason for not having observed any signification in the teleconnections between Mediterranean rainfalls and the North Atlantic Oscillation index. However, the energy deficits registered in the polar oceanic basins seem to be the trigger of the Mediterranean cyclogenetic activity through the draining of polar cold air over the warm Mediterranean waters. Simultaneously, the latent heat included in Mediterranean cyclogenesis is injected and diffused in high circulation to restore the hemispheric thermal balance. These processes have been systematically analyzed since 1981, when the registers of the sea university station started to show the intensity of air-sea interactions in the western Mediterranean basin.

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