Search results for "mediterranean sea."
showing 10 items of 830 documents
Torrential precipitations on the Spanish east coast: The role of the Mediterranean sea surface temperature
1995
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 d…
Isotopic composition of single rain events in the central Mediterranean
2008
[1] The ratios of stable isotopes of single rain events were investigated during the period October 2005 to September 2006 in the central Mediterranean. Clear seasonal trends were identified in both oxygen isotope ratios and the deuterium-excess parameter, and these were ascribed to the dominant circulation systems during both cold and hot intraannual periods. Rain events were classified on the basis of the origin of rain-bearing systems. Air masses coming from the south usually give rise to rainwater with a low deuterium excess. Air masses coming from the north and the northeast are often dry and cold, and are associated with high evaporation from the Mediterranean Sea that occurs under is…
Columnar aerosol properties in Valencia (Spain) by ground-based Sun photometry
2007
In this paper, we present a climatological study of atmospheric aerosols in coastal eastern Spain, by means of experimental measurements using a Cimel CE318-2 Sun photometer. The aerosol optical depth, Ångström wavelength exponent, size distribution, complex refractive index, asymmetry parameter, and single scattering albedo have been retrieved from these measurements. The columnar water content, as an important parameter for understanding aerosol growth, has also been retrieved. Statistical results of the annual and seasonal variability analysis, mainly related to the usual summer maximum turbidity found in the Mediterranean and European regions, are also shown. The results are linked to t…
Influence of the Mediterranean Sea on the West African monsoon: Intraseasonal variability in numerical simulations
2010
[1] The influence of May to September sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies in the Mediterranean Sea on the West African monsoon is investigated, analyzing the outputs of numerical sensitivity experiments performed using three atmospheric general circulation models (Action de Recherche Petite Echelle Grande Echelle, European/Hamburg, and University of California, Los Angeles) in the framework of the African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis project. The precipitation and atmospheric dynamics response to the SST forcing is explored, in terms of intraseasonal variability, evaluating the results from the individual models and from the multimodel mean. A positive precipitation response to wa…
Weather Regimes in the Euro-Atlantic and Mediterranean Sector, and Relationship with West African Rainfall over the 1989–2008 Period from a Self-Orga…
2011
Abstract Weather regimes (WRs) have been defined over the Euro-Mediterranean region (15°–70°N, 60°W–60°E) from May to October using the daily sea level pressure, 700-hPa geopotential height, and specific humidity from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Re-Analysis (ERA)-Interim over the 1989–2008 period. Computations are based on a neural network classification technique referred to as self-organizing maps, and the WRs produced can be used by the scientific community for comparison with other periods, projection onto model outputs, seasonal prediction, or teleconnection studies. The article particularly examines the relationship between WRs and West Africa (WA) rainfall,…
Recent warming in the Balearic Sea and Spanish Mediterranean coast. Towards an earlier and longer summer
2015
This paper analyses recent changes in the temperature of the Balearic Sea and surrounding coastal areas. Monthly temperature data from several weather stations located around the Balearic basin have been used to obtain land temperatures during the period 1960-2010, and monthly thermal satellite images from the Physical Oceanography Distributed Active Archive Center (PO.DAAC) covering the period 1985-2009 have been processed to obtain sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the Balearic Sea. A rise in temperature has been observed since 1980 and increasingly in the last 25 years, with an average warming trend of 0.039 ºC/year on land for the period 1960-2010 and 0.026 ºC/year in SSTs for 1985-200…
Chemical characterization in coastal fog and rain at Mount Monduver fog-collection station, Mediterranean Iberian Peninsula
2021
Abstract An experimental site was selected for fog- and rain-water quality analyses. The selected location corresponds to Mount Monduver of 843 m elevation, being geographically centered in the Mediterranean Iberian Peninsula. Single fog- and rain-water samples were taken manually with a dedicated fog and rain collectors, to prevent any contamination with dry-deposition. Besides, a permanently exposed fog collector and a rain gauge were also used for the collection of water samples affected by dry deposition. Results indicated that all chemical analyses complied with Spanish drinking water regulations, except for the particular case of the dry-deposition contaminated water samples. A furthe…
DNA barcoding for species assignment: the case of Mediterranean marine fishes
2014
Background: DNA barcoding enhances the prospects for species-level identifications globally using a standardized and authenticated DNA-based approach. Reference libraries comprising validated DNA barcodes (COI) constitute robust datasets for testing query sequences, providing considerable utility to identify marine fish and other organisms. Here we test the feasibility of using DNA barcoding to assign species to tissue samples from fish collected in the central Mediterranean Sea, a major contributor to the European marine ichthyofaunal diversity. Methodology/Principal Findings: A dataset of 1278 DNA barcodes, representing 218 marine fish species, was used to test the utility of DNA barcodes…
Monitoring the habitat use of common Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) using passive acoustics in a Mediterranean marine protected area
2014
The Mediterranean Tursiops truncatus subpopulation has been classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because of its decline. This species in coastal areas is exposed to a wide variety of threats: directed kills, bycatch, reduced prey availability caused by environmental degradation and overfishing, habitat degradation including disturbances from boat traffic and noise. Despite the increase in boat traffic in the Mediterranean Sea, the effect on T. truncatus’ habitat use has been studied in little detail and few data have been published. This study represents the first attempt to characterise spatial and temporal habitat use by T. truncatus and its relation to boat traffic in the Isole …
First GPS-tracking of Cory’s shearwater in the Mediterranean Sea.
2010
Abstract The behaviour and ecology of seabirds such as albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters have been the subject of numerous studies, often employing the most recent technologies to track birds during their foraging trips. Until now, however, large oceanic species have been preferred for tracking studies because of the dimensions and weight of the devices available. New light-weight GPS (Global Positioning System) loggers (< 9 g) were used to track foraging trips of a medium-sized species, the Cory's shearwater, for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea. The tracks obtained showed that Mediterranean Cory's shearwaters alternatively used one of two different fishing areas. Various explana…