DATE2019-01-08 12:44:22
IDABSTRACT2014/210
CONTACTshimonk@post.tau.ac.il
PRESENTATIONORAL
INVITED0
IDSESSION2
TITLETHE ROLE OF RECENT MOISTURE TRANSPORT TRENDS IN THE CLIMATOLOGY OF EXTREME PRECIPITATION OVER THE EURO-MEDITERRANEAN REGION
AUTHORSSimon O. Krichak (1)
AFFILIATIONS
  1. Department of Geophysics and Planetary Sciences, Raymond and Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel Aviv, Israel
ABSTRACTAn evaluation of the synoptic mechanisms acting during the formation of the cool season events characterized by very intense precipitation (VIPE) in the Mediterranean region (MR) is performed based on the data for a large number of recent past MR VIPEs in comparison with those from a number of previous studies. Results of the analysis indicate an important role in the development of the MR VIPEs by intrusions of humid air of tropical origin into the mid-latitudes allowing the initiation of atmospheric rivers (AR) mechanism. In accordance with the conclusion the establishing of humid day (HD) conditions over or near the area of the MR resulting from the intense intrusions of humid tropical air over North Eastern Atlantic Ocean or/and the Arabian Sea may be seen as an important factor for the formation of the MR VIPE. An examination of the 1979-2013 trends in the frequency of days with HD conditions demonstrates a rise of the characteristic over the eastern part of North Atlantic Ocean and parts of western Europe and Africa during the time period. Comparison of the HD trends with the available observational data on the recent past trends in the fraction of precipitation due to very wet days (R95pTOT) allows suggesting a role of the trend in the frequency of HDs in the recent past changes in the climatology of extreme precipitation over the Mediterranean region and western Europe. Results of the evaluation allow suggesting a notable role of the anthropogenic global climate change and associated with it decline in the Arctic ice cover in the processes.
PAGE22
STATE1