6533b859fe1ef96bd12b8057
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Torrential precipitations on the Spanish east coast: The role of the Mediterranean sea surface temperature
María J. EstrelaMillán M. MillánVicent Casellessubject
Mediterranean climateAtmospheric ScienceEast coastSea surface temperatureBack doorMediterranean seaClimatologyCyclogenesisFront (oceanography)Natural (archaeology)Geologydescription
Abstract Floods constitute one of the most important natural risks on the Spanish Mediterranean coast. Although it is very difficult to avoid them, a correct understanding of their principal cause, which is torrential rain, can facilitate their prediction and in this way avoid, at least partially, their catastrophic effects (both loss of human lives and material damage). The work presented here is part of a more extensive study underway in the CEAM (Centro de Estudios Ambientales del Mediterraneo). Its objective is the analysis of the conditions that produce torrential precipitations. These can be explained by the hypothesis of the Back Door Front, a mechanism which on its own permits the development of a potentially unstable mass above the Mediterranean sea. Among the different factors that are valued in this hypothesis, the Sea Surface Temperature is considered to play an important role. It is studied by means of satellite images since this is the only technique that permits a synoptic view of this parameter. NOAH satellite images have been used, applying the split-window operative technique. This work presents initial results that confirm the importance of the Sea Surface Temperature (SST) as a moisture source in the Mediterranean cyclogenesis.
year | journal | country | edition | language |
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1995-03-01 | Atmospheric Research |