Search results for "climatology"

A complex case study of down to the surface intrusions of persistent stratospheric air over the Eastern Mediterranean

2006

Abstract In this study, we present a complex case study of concurrent stratosphere-to-troposphere transport (STT) events down to the surface of a low topography region in Northern Greece, which occurred in spring 2000. Two surface stations at Livadi (850 m asl) and Thessaloniki (20 m asl) were influenced by intrusions of stratospheric air masses that persisted for a time period from 7 to 10 days within the troposphere before reaching the stations. Before reaching the surface stations in Greece, the air masses crossed the tropopause in different synoptic systems over Eastern Europe, N. America and the N. Atlantic. This is the first study, to our knowledge, that presents a down to the surface…

2012

Abstract. Measurements of the ambient aerosol were performed at the Southern coast of Spain, within the framework of the DOMINO (Diel Oxidant Mechanisms In relation to Nitrogen Oxides) project. The field campaign took place from 20 November until 9 December 2008 at the atmospheric research station "El Arenosillo" (37°5'47.76" N, 6°44'6.94" W). As the monitoring station is located at the interface between a natural park, industrial cities (Huelva, Seville) and the Atlantic Ocean, a variety of physical and chemical parameters of aerosols and gas phase could be characterized in dependency on the origin of air masses. Backwards trajectories were examined and compared with local meteorology to c…

On the structural changes in the Brewer-Dobson circulation after 2000

2010

In this paper we present evidence that the observed increase in tropical upwelling after the year 2000 may be attributed to a change in the Brewer-Dobson circulation pattern. For this purpose, we use the concept of transit times derived from residual circulation trajectories and different in-situ measurements of ozone and nitrous dioxide. Observations from the Canadian midlatitude ozone profile record, probability density functions of in-situ N<sub>2</sub>O observations and a shift of the N<sub>2</sub>O-O<sub>3</sub> correlation slopes, taken together, indicate that the increased upwelling in the tropics after the year 2000 appears to have triggered an in…

Ozone mini-holes over Valencia (Spain) and their influence on the UV erythemal radiation

2010

Low ozone level episodes (also known as mini-holes) have been analysed over Valencia, Spain, during the period from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2007. In this study, 24 episodes, lasting 1 or 2 days each, were detected. Most of them can be explained dynamically by the existence of an anticyclone over the Azores, which sends air masses coming from the Caribbean over the Iberian Peninsula. A positive anomaly in the vertical temperature profile in the high troposphere and one negative anomaly in the medium and low stratosphere are also observed in most of the analysed episodes. The total ozone column decrease is accompanied by a rise in the UV erythemal radiation levels. This increase is quan…

MEASUREMENT AND ANALYSIS OF ULTRAVIOLET SOLAR IRRADIATION IN VALENCIA, SPAIN

1996

Experimental data concerning the integrated total ultraviolet radiation (290–385 nm band) on a horizontal surface measured at Valencia (Spain) during the period March 1991 to December 1994 have been analysed. A study of the most representative statistical indexes: arithmetic mean (M), median (Md), standard deviation (SD), maximum (Mx), minimum (Mn), first (Q1) and third (Q3) quartiles, percentiles 5 (P5) and 95 (P95), interquartile range (Q3 –Q1) and coefficient of quartile variation (V), of the UV radiation for this period has been carried out. The study has focused on both the hourly and the daily values of irradiance. The UV irradiance measured shows quite stable values within the period…

Influence of climate change on phenological phases in Latvia and Lithuania

2009

To investigate the impact of recent climatic changes on plant development, this study used phenological data of the volunteer networks in Latvia and Lithuania from the 1971-2000 period. The phenological calendar method was applied. Phenological seasons were described using data on 6 phenological phases at 10 stations. The growing season was described using birch Betula pendula as an example. Correlation analysis, linear regression and non-parametric Mann-Kendall trend tests were applied to establish the relationship between phenological phases and meteorological factors (temperature, precipitation) and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). The results indicate a statisti- cally significant …

Tropopause level Rossby wave breaking in the Northern Hemisphere: a feature-based validation of the ECHAM5-HAM climate model

2012

Breaking synoptic-scale Rossby waves (RWB) at the tropopause level are central to the daily weather evolution in the extratropics and the subtropics. RWB leads to pronounced meridional transport of heat, moisture, momentum, and chemical constituents. RWB events are manifest as elongated and narrow structures in the tropopause-level potential vorticity (PV) field. A feature-based validation approach is used to assess the representation of Northern Hemisphere RWB in present-day climate simulations carried out with the ECHAM5-HAM climate model at three different resolutions (T42L19, T63L31, and T106L31) against the ERA-40 reanalysis data set. An objective identification algorithm extracts RWB …

The key role of diabatic processes in modifying the upper-tropospheric wave guide: a North Atlantic case-study

2011

This study highlights the importance of diabatic processes for the complex interaction of weather systems in the North Atlantic–European sector during the week of 7–14 September 2008. A chain of events occurred including the extratropical transition (ET) of hurricane Hanna, a subsequently developing extratropical cyclone, the formation of an upper-level potential vorticity (PV) streamer that protruded towards Europe and triggered intense rainfall, and the genesis of a Mediterranean cyclone. A PV perspective is adopted along with trajectory calculations to elucidate the diabatic modification of the midlatitude flow. Important diabatic PV modifications occurred at upper levels, associated wit…

Ratio of UV to global broad band irradiation in Valencia, Spain

1999

This paper presents the results of an analysis of 6 years of measurements of UV and broad band irradiation values in Valencia, Spain. Hourly and daily integrated UV irradiance, ITUV, measured by a TUVR Eppley radiometer, and global irradiance IT from a Kipp-Zonen CM-11 pyranometer, were highly correlated, with ITUV/IT percentages varying from 2.9% to 3.5% for hourly values and from 2.9% to 3.4% for daily values. If a general linear relation ITUV=mIT is considered, the correlation coefficient r is always greater than 0.96 for hourly values and 0.91 for daily values. However, the relation between ITUV/IT and the clearness index kT is poorly correlated, although improved results, with less dep…

Influence of cloudiness over the values of erythemal radiation in Valencia, Spain

2009

The influence of cloudiness over experimental UV erythemal radiation (UVER) has been studied. This influence has been analysed considering total cloudiness and low clouds. The measurements of cloudiness correspond to the daily values registered at 13:00 GMT at the Meteorological Centre of Valencia, which is part of the State Agency of Meteorology of Spain (AEMET). The UVER measurements were made using a YES UVB-1 radiometer located on the roof terrace of the Physics Faculty at the Burjassot Campus, Valencia (latitude 39.508° , longitude − 0.418° , 60 m above sea level). First, a statistical analysis of cloudiness at 13:00 GMT in Valencia was carried out, confirming that the situation is mai…