Extreme dry spell detection and climatology over the Mediterranean Basin during the wet season
The E-OBS precipitation gridded data set v.10.0 is used to detect very long dry spell (VLDS) events over the entire Mediterranean Basin for the 1957–2013 period, during the wet season (September to April). The main objective is to characterize these events as climatic objects, in terms of location, spatial extent, duration, and temporal variability. In this study, 76 VLDS events were detected in the Mediterranean Basin and grouped into four spatial patterns: scattered localized (with 25 events), northeast Mediterranean (11 events), West Mediterranean (15 events), and southeast Mediterranean (25 events). Each pattern shows seasonality in events. Most of the scattered localized, northeast, an…
Winter long dry spells in the Mediterranean basin and associated atmospheric conditions : contemporary and future variability (1957-2100)
In the context of climate change, as reflected by a dryer Mediterraneanbasin, this thesis focused on the study of the contemporary and future variability(1957-2100) of the wintertime (September to April) very long dryspells events (called VLDSe) in the Mediterranean basin. An original methodologywas developed in this thesis in order to define VLDSe as singularclimatic events, characterized by location, duration and spatial extent criteria.76 VLDSe were detected in the Mediterranean basin on the contemporaryperiod (1957-2013). These events are divided into 4 main geographicalpatterns: North-East, West, Scattered Localized and South-East. North-East and West configurations are associated with…
Durée et fréquence des vagues de chaleur en Afrique tropicale septentrionale selon 5 indices de chaleur
Thermal extremes generate health risks that are increasingly taken into account, including in tropical Africa. This work compares the duration and the frequency of spring heat waves (HWs) in West Africa according to 5 indices: Warm Spell (WS), Heat Index (HI) with and without the relative humidity, Apparent Temperature (AT), and Excess Heat Factor (EHF). The daily relative humidity and temperature data (minimum, maximum, dew point are provided by the GSOD database for the period 1973-2014 and cover 145 stations spread over a large African area (3-24°N; 24°W-36°E). The results show that the duration of the HWs is short on the coast (3 days) and they last longer inland the continent and in th…
Extreme dry spells over the Mediterranean Basin during the wet season: assessment of HyMeX/Med-CORDEX regional climate simulations (1979-2009).
16 pages; International audience; Exceptional dry spells, in this study referred to as very long dry spells (VLDS), are natural hazards to which the Mediterranean region is extremely vulnerable, with socio‐economic and environmental impacts. In this study, they are characterized in terms of location, spatial extent, duration, temporal variability and associated atmospheric circulations. The main objective is to assess the performance of five HyMeX/Med‐CORDEX regional climate simulations to detect and reproduce VLDS in comparison with the E‐OBS observed daily gridded data. Models accurately reproduce the occurrence of precipitation around the Mediterranean Basin, and therefore the occurrence…
Épisodes secs en hiver dans le bassin méditerranéen : variabilité et forçages atmosphériques (1957-2013).
The mean number of dry days in winter increased in the Mediterranean Basin during the 1957-2013 period,mainly because of dry spells becoming longer. The shortest events (Very Short Dry Spells) were less frequentwhereas longer events (Short Dry Spells, Medium Dry Spells and Long Dry Spells) were more frequent on theMediterranean Basin. 76 very long events (Very Long Dry Spells – VLDS) occurred during the 1957-2013period. A hierarchical clustering analysis of these VLDS events allows to detect 5 mainly Mediterraneanconfigurations: North-West Mediterranean, West Mediterranean, North-East Mediterranean, South-EastMediterranean and localized events.
Durée et fréquence des vagues de chaleur en Afrique tropicale septentrionale selon 5 indices de chaleur.
Thermal extremes generate health risks that are increasingly taken into account, including in tropical Africa. This work compares the duration and the frequency of spring heat waves (HWs) in West Africa according to 5 indices: Warm Spell (WS), Heat Index (HI) with and without the relative humidity, Apparent Temperature (AT), and Excess Heat Factor (EHF). The daily relative humidity and temperature data (minimum, maximum, dew point are provided by the GSOD database for the period 1973-2014 and cover 145 stations spread over a large African area (3-24°N; 24°W-36°E). The results show that the duration of the HWs is short on the coast (3 days) and they last longer inland the continent and in th…
Types de configurations pluviométriques sur le bassin méditerranéen, forçages atmosphériques et évènements intenses (1979-2013).
Sixrecurrent and redundant daily rainfall patterns have been extracted over the Mediterranean area from 1979 to 2013: five areassociated to regionals rainfall excess (South-West Mediterranean, Mid-North Mediterranean, East Mediterranean, WestMediterranean and north-west Mediterranean) and one to generalized deficit. Each rainfall pattern is associated with atypical barometric spatial configuration leading to local wind bringing moisture to the coast leading to specific local rainfallsurplus. Rainfall patterns also explain a large part of the spatial characteristics and the probability of occurrence of intenseevents. For example, more than 20% of days of “West-Mediterranean” rainfall pattern…
Très longs épisodes secs hivernaux dans le bassin méditerranéen : variabilité spatio-temporelle et impact sur la production céréalière en Espagne.
This study concerns the long winter sequences without rain at the whole Mediterraneanbasin scale. Objectives are (i) to define theses extreme events as geographical and climatological objectscharacterized by a location, a spatial extension and a temporal length and (ii) measured impacts of these eventson the cereal production in Spain. 76 events of very long dry spells (eVLDS) are detected over the 1957-2013period. These eVLDS are grouped into 4 typical recurrent configurations at the Mediterranean basin scale: North-East, West, Scattered & Localised and South-East. The eVLDS have a greater impact on barley, wheat and oatyields (winter crops grown through rainfed agriculture) than rainfall …