Present climate trend analysis of the Etesian winds in the Aegean Sea

Citation:

Poupkou, A., et al. Present climate trend analysis of the Etesian winds in the Aegean Sea. Theoretical and Applied Climatology 106, 459 - 472 (2011). Copy at http://www.tinyurl.com/y5h2mrt3

Abstract:

The main objective of the present study is to perform a trend analysis and investigate the possible changes in the frequency and wind intensity of the Etesians during June to September of the years 1979 to 2009. The analysis is based mainly on the use of Reanalysis-1 data from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research. The results are indicative of negative trends in the frequency and wind speed (WS) of the Etesians. During the 31-year period studied, the total number of Etesian days from June to September decreased by about 4.6 days, while the monthly maximum intensity of the daily WS was reduced by almost 1 m s-1. The above indications are strengthened by similar results derived from the trend analysis of observational wind data in the central Aegean for the years 1955 to 2002. The negative trend in the frequency of the Etesian days could be explained by a decreasing trend in the pressure gradient between the central and southern Europe high-pressure center and the Middle East low-pressure center, which cause the Etesians system. In the study, a possible association between the Southern Oscillation and the Etesian winds is also revealed. The negative trend in the frequency and WS of the Etesian winds could imply a reduced cooling mechanism in the eastern Mediterranean in the summer period due to climate change. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.

Notes:

Cited By :12Export Date: 2 November 2015Correspondence Address: Poupkou, A.; Laboratory of Atmospheric Physics, Department of Physics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece; email: poupkou@auth.grReferences: Brody, L.R., Nestor, M.J.R., (1985) Regional Forecasts for the Mediterranean Basin. Technical Report, No. 80-110, , Monterey: Naval Environmental Prediction Research Facility;Burlando, M., The synoptic-scale surface wind climate regimes of the Mediterranean Sea according to the cluster analysis of ERA-40 wind fields (2009) Theor Appl Climatol, 96, pp. 69-83. , doi:10.1007/s00704-008-0033-5; Chattopadhyay, J., Bhatla, R., Influence of Southern Oscillation index on the variability and predictability of Indian Monsoon. A Reappraisal (1993) Pure Appl Geophys, 141, pp. 177-188. , doi:10.1007/BF00876242; Fedorov, A.V., Philander, S.G., Is El Niño changing? 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