Age-differentiated subduction regime: An explanation of regional scale upper mantle differences beneath the Alps and the Variscides of Central Europe

2012 ◽  
Vol 206-207 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Blanka Nita ◽  
Larissa Dobrzhinetskaya ◽  
Peter Maguire ◽  
Edward Perchuc
Keyword(s):  
Central Europe ◽  
Upper Mantle ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
The Alps

scholarly journals A Climatology of Thunderstorms across Europe from a Synthesis of Multiple Data Sources

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 1813-1837 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mateusz Taszarek ◽  
John Allen ◽  
Tomáš Púčik ◽  
Pieter Groenemeijer ◽  
Bartosz Czernecki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Central Europe ◽  
Detection System ◽  
Thunderstorm Activity ◽  
Severe Weather ◽  
Data Sources ◽  
Annual Number ◽  
Central Mediterranean ◽  
Severe Thunderstorm ◽  
Lightning Detection ◽  
The Alps

Abstract The climatology of (severe) thunderstorm days is investigated on a pan-European scale for the period of 1979–2017. For this purpose, sounding measurements, surface observations, lightning data from ZEUS (a European-wide lightning detection system) and European Cooperation for Lightning Detection (EUCLID), ERA-Interim, and severe weather reports are compared and their respective strengths and weaknesses are discussed. The research focuses on the annual cycles in thunderstorm activity and their spatial variability. According to all datasets thunderstorms are the most frequent in the central Mediterranean, the Alps, the Balkan Peninsula, and the Carpathians. Proxies for severe thunderstorm environments show similar patterns, but severe weather reports instead have their highest frequency over central Europe. Annual peak thunderstorm activity is in July and August over northern, eastern, and central Europe, contrasting with peaks in May and June over western and southeastern Europe. The Mediterranean, driven by the warm waters, has predominant activity in the fall (western part) and winter (eastern part) while the nearby Iberian Peninsula and eastern Turkey have peaks in April and May. Trend analysis of the mean annual number of days with thunderstorms since 1979 indicates an increase over the Alps and central, southeastern, and eastern Europe with a decrease over the southwest. Multiannual changes refer also to changes in the pattern of the annual cycle. Comparison of different data sources revealed that although lightning data provide the most objective sampling of thunderstorm activity, short operating periods and areas devoid of sensors limit their utility. In contrast, reanalysis complements these disadvantages to provide a longer climatology, but is prone to errors related to modeling thunderstorm occurrence and the numerical simulation itself.

Nomenclatural and taxonomic notes on Rubus sect. Corylifolii (Rosaceae) in Central Europe

Phytotaxa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 388 (1) ◽  
pp. 107 ◽  
Author(s):  
GERGELY KIRÁLY
Keyword(s):  
Central Europe ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Morphological Characterization ◽  
Type Material ◽  
Original Material ◽  
Long Time ◽  
The Alps ◽  
Locus Classicus

During recent herbarium and field studies three names of Rubus sect. Corylifolii ser. Subcanescentes were re-assessed. Rubus macrostemonides was typified with a neotype specimen from Salzburg (Austria), and its identity with R. baruthicus was shown (the previous name has the priority). Its presence at the Austrian locus classicus was confirmed also recently, this locality represents the easternmost occurrence of the species. The name R. holosericeus was (mis)applied for a long time for a widespread taxon occurring southeast of the Alps that is not at all present in the original material. This name was lectotypified with a specimen from Styria (Austria) here as a hitherto overlooked regional species recently recorded in Austria, Hungary and Slovenia. The taxon that was formerly (mis)identified as R. holosericeus has proven to be identical to R. semitomentosus, which is lectotypified here with a specimen from Hungary. For both taxa clarified here is, beside a circumstantial assessment of the type material, an improved morphological characterization and circumscription of distribution and habitats presented.

scholarly journals A 5 km Resolution Regional Climate Simulation for Central Europe: Performance in High Mountain Areas and Seasonal, Regional and Elevation-Dependent Variations

Atmosphere ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 682 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Warscher ◽  
Sven Wagner ◽  
Thomas Marke ◽  
Patrick Laux ◽  
Gerhard Smiatek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wind Speed ◽  
Central Europe ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Climate Simulation ◽  
Wave Radiation ◽  
Historical Period ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Regional Climate Simulation ◽  
The Alps

Mountain regions with complex orography are a particular challenge for regional climate simulations. High spatial resolution is required to account for the high spatial variability in meteorological conditions. This study presents a very high-resolution regional climate simulation (5 km) using the Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF) for the central part of Europe including the Alps. Global boundaries are dynamically downscaled for the historical period 1980–2009 (ERA-Interim and MPI-ESM), and for the near future period 2020–2049 (MPI-ESM, scenario RCP4.5). Model results are compared to gridded observation datasets and to data from a dense meteorological station network in the Berchtesgaden Alps (Germany). Averaged for the Alps, the mean bias in temperature is about −0.3 °C, whereas precipitation is overestimated by +14% to +19%. R 2 values for hourly, daily and monthly temperature range between 0.71 and 0.99. Temporal precipitation dynamics are well reproduced at daily and monthly scales (R 2 between 0.36 and 0.85), but are not well captured at hourly scale. The spatial patterns, seasonal distributions, and elevation-dependencies of the climate change signals are investigated. Mean warming in Central Europe exhibits a temperature increase between 0.44 °C and 1.59 °C and is strongest in winter and spring. An elevation-dependent warming is found for different specific regions and seasons, but is absent in others. Annual precipitation changes between −4% and +25% in Central Europe. The change signals for humidity, wind speed, and incoming short-wave radiation are small, but they show distinct spatial and elevation-dependent patterns. On large-scale spatial and temporal averages, the presented 5 km RCM setup has in general similar biases as EURO-CORDEX simulations, but it shows very good model performance at the regional and local scale for daily meteorology, and, apart from wind-speed and precipitation, even for hourly values.

Variability of Abies alba-dominated forests in Central Europe

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 495-518
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Świerkosz ◽  
Kamila Reczyńska ◽  
Karel Boublík
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Central Europe ◽  
Abies Alba ◽  
Field Work ◽  
Silver Fir ◽  
Habitat Conditions ◽  
Ecological Analysis ◽  
R Software ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
The Alps

AbstractUsing vegetation databases from Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia and our own material collected during a field work, we have analysed the variability of species composition of Abies alba-dominated communities in Central Europe. Analysis was performed using a modified TWINSPAN algorithm in the JUICE software. Ecological analysis was performed on the basis of mean Ellenberg indicator values with a MoPeT_v1.0.r script prepared in R software. In general, the findings indicated that there are at least 8 types of Central European silver fir-dominated forests with different patterns in species composition and habitat conditions. These are the oligotrophic subcontinental silver fir forests of the Polish highlands, oligotrophic (sub)montane silver fir forest, hygrophilous silver fir forests, oligo-mesotrophic (sub)montane silver fir forests, mesotrophic (sub)montane silver fir forests, submontane and montane calcicolous silver fir forests of the Alps and the Carpathians, eutrophic silver fir-beech forests and silver fir ravine forests. The main conclusion is that the diversity of species composition of Abies alba-dominated forests in Central Europe is lower than described in current regional synthesis, which was confirmed by ecological analyses.

scholarly journals Relationship between Spatiotemporal Variations of Climate, Snow Cover and Plant Phenology over the Alps—An Earth Observation-Based Analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1757 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Asam ◽  
Mattia Callegari ◽  
Michael Matiu ◽  
Giuseppe Fiore ◽  
Ludovica De Gregorio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Snow Cover ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Earth Observation ◽  
European Alps ◽  
Climate Variables ◽  
South Tyrol ◽  
Mean Temperature ◽  
The Alps ◽  
The Relationship

Alpine ecosystems are particularly sensitive to climate change, and therefore it is of significant interest to understand the relationships between phenology and its seasonal drivers in mountain areas. However, no alpine-wide assessment on the relationship between land surface phenology (LSP) patterns and its climatic drivers including snow exists. Here, an assessment of the influence of snow cover variations on vegetation phenology is presented, which is based on a 17-year time-series of MODIS data. From this data snow cover duration (SCD) and phenology metrics based on the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) have been extracted at 250 m resolution for the entire European Alps. The combined influence of additional climate drivers on phenology are shown on a regional scale for the Italian province of South Tyrol using reanalyzed climate data. The relationship between vegetation and snow metrics strongly depended on altitude. Temporal trends towards an earlier onset of vegetation growth, increasing monthly mean NDVI in spring and late summer, as well as shorter SCD were observed, but they were mostly non-significant and the magnitude of these tendencies differed by altitude. Significant negative correlations between monthly mean NDVI and SCD were observed for 15–55% of all vegetated pixels, especially from December to April and in altitudes from 1000–2000 m. On the regional scale of South Tyrol, the seasonality of NDVI and SCD achieved the highest share of correlating pixels above 1500 m, while at lower elevations mean temperature correlated best. Examining the combined effect of climate variables, for average altitude and exposition, SCD had the highest effect on NDVI, followed by mean temperature and radiation. The presented analysis allows to assess the spatiotemporal patterns of earth-observation based snow and vegetation metrics over the Alps, as well as to understand the relative importance of snow as phenological driver with respect to other climate variables.

scholarly journals Dry Spells and Extreme Precipitation are The Main Trigger of Landslides in Central Europe

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Radek Tichavský ◽  
Juan Antonio Ballesteros-Cánovas ◽  
Karel Šilhán ◽  
Radim Tolasz ◽  
Markus Stoffel
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Central Europe ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Summer Precipitation ◽  
Greenhouse Climate ◽  
Dry Spells ◽  
Outer Western Carpathians ◽  
Triggering Mechanisms

Abstract Landslides are frequently triggered by extreme meteorological events which has led to concern and debate about their activity in a future greenhouse climate. It is also hypothesized that dry spells preceding triggering rainfall may increase slope predisposition to sliding, especially in the case of clay-rich soils. Here we combined dendrogeomorphic time series of landslides and climatic records to test the possible role of dry spells and extreme downpours on process activity in the Outer Western Carpathians (Central Europe). To this end, we tested time series of past frequencies and return periods of landslide reactivations at the regional scale with a Generalized Linear Mixed (GLM) model to explore linkages between landslide occurrences and triggering climate variables. Results show that landslide reactivations are concentrated during years in which spring and summer precipitation sums were significantly higher than usual, and that triggering mechanisms vary between different types of landslides (i.e. complex, shallow or flow-like). The GLM model also points to the susceptibility of landslide bodies to the combined occurrence of long, dry spells followed by large precipitation. Such situations are likely to increase in frequency in the future as climate models predict an enhancement of heatwaves and dry spells in future summers, that would be interrupted by less frequent, yet more intense storms, especially also in mountain regions.

Description of three new species of Trichoceridae (Diptera, Nematocera) from nothern Sweden and the Alps

1976 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Dahl
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Central Europe ◽  
Light Trap ◽  
Western Alps ◽  
Northern Sweden ◽  
The Alps ◽  
Three New Species

AbstractThree new species of the genus Trichocera are described: T.(T.) implicata n.sp., T.(T.) mendli n.sp., both from northern Sweden and the western Alps, and T.(M.) candida n.sp. from the western Alps. The descriptions are based on males only. The material comes mainly from light-trap collections and it is difficult to assign the females to the species described. Whether T. implicata and T. mendli really represent a boreo-alpine element is uncertain as practically no collections of trichocerids from the mountainous parts of Central Europe exist.

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