scholarly journals Interannual Variability of Rhine River Streamflow and Its Relationship with Large-Scale Anomaly Patterns in Spring and Autumn

2012 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 172-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Ionita ◽  
Gerrit Lohmann ◽  
Norel Rimbu ◽  
Silvia Chelcea
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Circulation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Decadal Variability ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Circulation Pattern ◽  
Northwestern Part ◽  
Rhine River ◽  
Climate Anomaly ◽  
Atmospheric Circulation Pattern ◽  
Streamflow Variability

Abstract Interannual-to-decadal variability of Rhine River streamflow and their relationship with large-scale climate anomaly patterns for spring [March–May (MAM)] and autumn [September–November (SON)] are investigated through a statistical analysis of observed streamflow data and global climate anomaly fields. A wavelet analysis reveals that spring streamflow variability is nonstationary with enhanced variability in the 8–16-yr band from 1860 to 1900 and in the 2–8 and 16–30 yr after 1960. A composite analysis reveals that streamflow anomalies during spring are related to a sea surface temperature (SST) pattern that resembles the corresponding El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) SST pattern. The corresponding atmospheric circulation pattern favors enhanced moisture advection over the Rhine catchment area during positive streamflow anomalies. During autumn, the streamflow variability follows a distribution similar to spring streamflow, but with a strong peak in the 30–60-yr band. Autumn streamflow anomalies are significantly related only with the North Atlantic SST anomalies. The atmospheric circulation pattern associated with high streamflow during autumn, which is more regional than the corresponding spring pattern, shows a deep low pressure system over the British Isles and the northwestern part of Europe and a shift southward of the Atlantic jet axis. The orientation of the axis of the Atlantic and African jets, as well as the advection of the moist air from the ocean, plays a crucial role in the variability of Rhine streamflow both in spring and autumn.

scholarly journals Large scale climate signals of a European oxygen isotope network from tree-rings – predominantly caused by ENSO teleconnections?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel F. Balting ◽  
Monica Ionita ◽  
Martin Wegmann ◽  
Gerhard Helle ◽  
Gerhard H. Schleser ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Circulation ◽  
Tree Ring ◽  
Tree Rings ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Circulation Pattern ◽  
Isotopic Signature ◽  
Atmospheric Circulation Patterns ◽  
Climate Signals ◽  
Instrumental Records

Abstract. We investigate the annual variability of δ18O tree ring records from sites distributed all over Europe covering the last 400 years. An Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) analysis reveals two distinct modes of variability on the basis of the existing δ18O tree ring records. The first mode of δ18O variability is associated with anomaly patterns of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and reflects a multi-seasonal climatic signal. The ENSO signal is visible for the last 130 years, but is found weak during the period 1600 to 1850 suggesting that the relationship between ENSO and the European climate may not stable over time. The second mode of δ18O variability, which captures an out-of-phase variability between northwestern and southeastern European δ18O tree ring records, is related to a regional summer atmospheric circulation pattern revealing a pronounced centre over the North Sea. Locally, the δ18O anomalies associated with this mode show the same (opposite) sign with temperature (precipitation). We infer that the investigation of large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns and related teleconnections far beyond instrumental records can be done with oxygen isotopic signature derived from tree rings. However, the European δ18Ocel tree network needs to be consolidated and updated, as well as additional research on the stationarity of reconstructed climate signals and the stationarity of teleconnections is advisable.

scholarly journals Large-scale climate signals of a European oxygen isotope network from tree rings

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 1005-1023
Author(s):  
Daniel F. Balting ◽  
Monica Ionita ◽  
Martin Wegmann ◽  
Gerhard Helle ◽  
Gerhard H. Schleser ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Circulation ◽  
Tree Ring ◽  
Tree Rings ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Circulation Pattern ◽  
Isotopic Signature ◽  
Atmospheric Circulation Patterns ◽  
The North ◽  
Instrumental Records

Abstract. We investigate the climate signature of δ18O tree-ring records from sites distributed all over Europe covering the last 400 years. An empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis reveals two distinct modes of variability on the basis of the existing δ18O tree-ring records. The first mode is associated with anomaly patterns projecting onto the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and reflects a multi-seasonal climatic signal. The ENSO link is pronounced for the last 130 years, but it is found to be weak over the period from 1600 to 1850, suggesting that the relationship between ENSO and the European climate may not be stable over time. The second mode of δ18O variability, which captures a north–south dipole in the European δ18O tree-ring records, is related to a regional summer atmospheric circulation pattern, revealing a pronounced centre over the North Sea. Locally, the δ18O anomalies associated with this mode show the same (opposite) sign with temperature (precipitation). Based on the oxygen isotopic signature derived from tree rings, we argue that the prevailing large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns and the related teleconnections can be analysed beyond instrumental records.

scholarly journals Impacts of large-scale atmospheric circulation changes due to winter sea-ice retreat on Black Carbon transport and deposition to the Arctic

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Pozzoli ◽  
Srdan Dobricic ◽  
Simone Russo ◽  
Elisabetta Vignati
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Atmospheric Circulation ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
The North ◽  
Ice Retreat ◽  
The North Atlantic Oscillation ◽  
Sea Ice Retreat

Abstract. Winter warming and sea ice retreat observed in the Arctic in the last decades determine changes of large scale atmospheric circulation pattern that may impact as well the transport of black carbon (BC) to the Arctic and its deposition on the sea ice, with possible feedbacks on the regional and global climate forcing. In this study we developed and applied a new statistical algorithm, based on the Maximum Likelihood Estimate approach, to determine how the changes of three large scale weather patterns (the North Atlantic Oscillation, the Scandinavian Blocking, and the El Nino-Southern Oscillation), associated with winter increasing temperatures and sea ice retreat in the Arctic, impact the transport of BC to the Arctic and its deposition. We found that the three atmospheric patterns together determine a decreasing winter deposition trend of BC between 1980 and 2015 in the Eastern Arctic while they increase BC deposition in the Western Arctic. The increasing trend is mainly due to the more frequent occurrences of stable high pressure systems (atmospheric blocking) near Scandinavia favouring the transport in the lower troposphere of BC from Europe and North Atlantic directly into to the Arctic. The North Atlantic Oscillation has a smaller impact on BC deposition in the Arctic, but determines an increasing BC atmospheric load over the entire Arctic Ocean with increasing BC concentrations in the upper troposphere. The El Nino-Southern Oscillation does not influence significantly the transport and deposition of BC to the Arctic. The results show that changes in atmospheric circulation due to polar atmospheric warming and reduced winter sea ice significantly impacted BC transport and deposition. The anthropogenic emission reductions applied in the last decades were, therefore, crucial to counterbalance the most likely trend of increasing BC pollution in the Arctic.

scholarly journals Greenland accumulation and its connection to the large-scale atmospheric circulation in ERA-Interim and paleo-climate simulations

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 3825-3870
Author(s):  
N. Merz ◽  
C. C. Raible ◽  
H. Fischer ◽  
V. Varma ◽  
M. Prange ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Circulation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Greenland Ice Sheet ◽  
Circulation Pattern ◽  
Local Flow ◽  
Large Scale Circulation ◽  
Circulation Patterns ◽  
Local Accumulation

Abstract. Accumulation and aerosol chemistry records from Greenland ice cores offer the potential to reconstruct variability in Northern Hemisphere atmospheric circulation over the last millennia. However, an important prerequisite for a reconstruction is the stable relationship between local accumulation at the ice core site with the respective circulation pattern throughout the reconstruction period. We address this stability issue by using a comprehensive climate model and performing time-slice simulations for the present, the pre-industrial, the early Holocene and the last glacial maximum (LGM). The relationships between accumulation, precipitation and atmospheric circulation are investigated on on various time-scales. The analysis shows that the relationship between local accumulation on the Greenland ice sheet and the large-scale circulation undergoes a significant seasonal cycle. As the weights of the individual seasons change, annual mean accumulation variability is not necessarily related to the same atmospheric circulation patterns during the different climate states. Within a season, local Greenland accumulation variability is indeed linked to a consistent circulation pattern, which is observed for all studied climate periods, even for the LGM, however these circulation patterns are specific for different regions on the Greenland ice sheet. The simulated impact of orbital forcing and changes in the ice-sheet topography on accumulation exhibits strong spatial variability emphasizing that accumulation records from different ice core sites cannot be expected to look alike since they include a distinct local signature. Accumulation changes between different climate periods are dominated by changes in the amount of snowfall and are driven by both thermodynamic and dynamic factors. The thermodynamic impact determines the strength of the hydrological cycle, and warmer temperatures are generally accompanied by an increase in Greenland precipitation. Dynamical drivers of accumulation changes are the large-scale circulation and the local orography having a distinct influence on the local flow characteristic and hence the amount of precipitation deposited in any Greenland region.

scholarly journals Effects of large scale dynamic phenomena of the summer atmospheric circulation over the Aegean basin

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ιωάννης Λογοθέτης
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Circulation ◽  
El Niño ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
El Nino ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
El Niño Southern Oscillation ◽  
El Nino Southern Oscillation ◽  
Representative Concentration Pathways ◽  
Historical Scenario ◽  
Dynamic Phenomena

Η παρούσα διδακτορική διατριβή στοχεύει στη μελέτη των επιδράσεων δυναμικών φαινομένων μεγάλης κλίμακας στην ατμοσφαιρική κυκλοφορία της ανατολικής Μεσογείου εστιάζοντας στη λεκάνη του Αιγαίου κατά τη θερινή περίοδο (Μάιος - Σεπτέμβριος). Στο πλαίσιο της παρούσας έρευνας γίνεται μελέτη φαινομένων τηλεσύνδεσης που επιδρούν στην ατμοσφαιρική κυκλοφορία της ανατολικής Μεσογείου. Η ανάλυση γίνεται με δεδομένα από προσομοιώσεις Μοντέλων Γήινου Συστήματος (ESMs) που είναι διαθέσιμα στο πλαίσιο της πέμπτης φάσης του προγράμματος Σύγκρισης Συζευγμένων Μοντέλων (CMIP5), το οποίο δρα υποστηρικτικά για το Πόρισμα της Διακυβερνητικής Επιτροπής για τις Κλιματικές Αλλαγές (IPCC, AR5). Στο πλαίσιο του Πορίσματος του IPCC έχει αναπτυχθεί σειρά σεναρίων τα οποία χρησιμοποιούνται για την μελέτη του κλίματος. Η μελέτη εστιάζεται: (α) στην ιστορική περίοδο (historical scenario simulatiuons) για το παρόν-παρελθόν (1900-2005) και (β) προσομοιώσεις των Αντιπροσωπευτικών Συγκεντρώσεων (Representative Concentration Pathways, RCPc) για το μέλλον (2006-2100). Επίσης γίνεται χρήση δεδομένων επανανάλυσης (reanlysis data) από το Ευρωπαϊκό Κέντρο Μεσοπρόθεσμων Μετεωρολογικών Προγνώσεων (ECMWF) για το παρόν (ERA-Interim) και το παρελθόν (ERA20C), καθώς και δεδομένων παρατηρήσεων (observations) ανάλογα με τη διαθεσιμότητα. Στόχοι της διατριβής είναι η συμβολή στην κατανόηση της ατμοσφαιρικής κυκλοφορίας στην ανατολική Μεσόγειο, του φαινομένου των Ετησιών ανέμων και της τηλεσύνδεσης της Νότιας Κύμανσης (El- Niño Southern Oscillation; ENSO) με τον Ινδικό καλοκαιρινό Μουσώνα και την κυκλοφορία της ανατολικής Μεσογείου. Τα αποτελέσματα της διδακτορικής διατριβής έδειξαν ότι οι Ετησίες στην κατώτερη και η καθοδική κυκλοφορία στην μέση τροπόσφαιρα είναι τα κύρια χαρακτηριστικά της θερινής ατμοσφαιρικής κυκλοφορία στην ανατολική Μεσόγειο. Στην περιοχή του Ινδικού μουσώνα το κύριο χαρακτηριστικό της κυκλοφορίας είναι οι ανοδικές κινήσεις με την μέγιστη ένταση να εντοπίζεται στο τμήμα του δυτικού Ινδικού καλοκαιρινού Μουσώνα και στον κόλπο της Βεγγάλης. Οι ανοδικές κινήσεις πάνω από τον Ινδικό Μουσώνα, η καθοδική κυκλοφορία στην ανατολική Μεσόγειο και οι Ετησίες άνεμοι παρουσιάζουν ταυτόχρονα μέγιστο την περίοδο Ιουλίου-Αυγούστου. Στην περιοχή της ανατολικής Μεσογείου η βαθμίδα της πίεσης που δημιουργείται από την διαφορά των πιέσεων μεταξύ ενός κέντρου υψηλών πιέσεων στα βόρεια Βαλκάνια και ενός χαμηλού στην νοτιοανατολική Μεσόγειο είναι υπεύθυνη για την πνοή του συστήματος των Ετησιών ανέμων κατά την θερινή περίοδο στο Αιγαίο. Η ανάλυση έδειξε ότι τα μοντέλα είναι ικανά να προσομοιώσουν την εποχική εξέλιξη και συχνότητα των Ετησιών αν και υποεκτιμούν την ταχύτητα του ανέμου. Επιπλέον, η μελέτη επιβεβαιώνει την επίδραση του Ινδικού Μουσώνα στην κατώτερη, μέση και ανώτερη τροποσφαιρική κυκλοφορία της ανατολικής Μεσογείου. Επιπρόσθετα, η ανάλυση έδειξε την επίδραση του ENSO στον Ινδικό καλοκαιρινό Μουσώνα και στο κέντρο χαμηλών πιέσεων που εντοπίζεται στην νότιοανατολική Μεσόγειο ως τμήμα της επέκτασης ενός θερμικού χαμηλού που εκτείνεται από τον δυτικό Ινδικό μουσώνα μέχρι την νοτιοανατολική Μεσόγειο κατά τους καλοκαιρινούς μήνες. Οι εκτιμήσεις για την τελευταία περίοδο του εικοστού πρώτου αιώνα (2070-2100), με βάση το ακραίο σενάριο (RCP8.5), έδειξαν εξασθένηση της κυκλοφορίας μεγάλης κλίμακας και ενίσχυση της βροχόπτωσης στην περιοχή του Ινδικού Μουσώνα. Όπως στο παρελθόν έτσι και στο μέλλον η βαθμίδα της πίεσης στο Αιγαίο φαίνεται πως οδηγεί στην πνοή των Ετησιών ανέμων. Τέλος, η ανάλυση δεν έδειξε ξεκάθαρες μεταβολές για το σύστημα των Ετησιών.

scholarly journals Rivers in the sky, flooding on the ground

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Ionita ◽  
Viorica Nagavciuc ◽  
Bin Guan
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Circulation ◽  
Heavy Rainfall ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Rhine River ◽  
Flood Events ◽  
Pressure Center ◽  
Atmospheric Rivers ◽  
Extreme Flooding ◽  
Large Scale Atmospheric Circulation ◽  
Lower Rhine

Abstract. The role of the large scale atmospheric circulation and atmospheric rivers (ARs) in producing extreme flooding and heavy rainfall events in the lower part of Rhine River catchment area is examined in this study. Analysis of the largest 10 floods in the lower Rhine, between 1817–2015, indicate that all these extreme flood peaks have been preceded up to 7 days in advance by intense moisture transport from the tropical North Atlantic basin, in the form of narrow bands, also know as atmospheric rivers. The influence of ARs on the Rhine River flood events is done via the prevailing large-scale atmospheric circulation. Most of the ARs associated with these flood events are embedded in the trailing fronts of the extratropical cyclones. The typical large scale atmospheric circulation leading to heavy rainfall and flooding in the lower Rhine is characterized by a low pressure center south of Greenland which migrates towards Europe and a stable high pressure center over the northern part of Africa and southern part of Europe. The days preceding the flood peaks, lower (upper) level convergence (divergence) is observed over the analyzed region, which is an indication of strong vertical motions and heavy rainfall. The results presented in this study offer new insights regarding the importance of tropical moisture transport as driver of extreme flooding in the lower part of Rhine River catchment area and we show for the first time that ARs are an useful tool for the identification of potential damaging floods inland Europe.

scholarly journals The nonlinear variation of drought and its relation to atmospheric circulation in Shandong Province, East China

PeerJ ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. e1289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Baofu Li ◽  
Zhongsheng Chen ◽  
Xingzhong Yuan
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Circulation ◽  
Decadal Variability ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Linear Trend ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Phase Changes ◽  
Drought Severity ◽  
Nonlinear Variation ◽  
Decadal Scale ◽  
Annual Scale

Considerable attention has recently been devoted to the linear trend of drought at the decadal to inter-decadal time scale; however, the nonlinear variation of drought at multi-decadal scales and its relation to atmospheric circulation need to be further studied. The linear and nonlinear variations of the Palmer drought severity index (PDSI) in Shandong from 1900 to 2012 and its relations to the Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO), El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Siberian high (SH) and Southern Oscillation (SO) phase changes from multi-scale are detected using linear regression, the Mann–Kendall test, ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) and the Pearson correlation analysis method. The results indicate that the PDSI shows no statistically significant linear change trend from 1900 to 2012; however, before (after) the late 1950s, PDSI shows a significant upward (downward) trend (P< 0.01) with a linear rate of 0.28/decade (−0.48/decade). From 1900 to 2012, the PDSI also exhibits a nonlinear variation trend at the inter-annual scale (quasi-3 and quasi-7-year), inter-decadal scale (quasi-14-year) and multi-decadal scale (quasi-46 and quasi-65-year). The variance contribution rate of components from the inter-annual scale is the largest, reaching 38.7%, and that from the inter-decadal scale and multi-decadal scale are 18.9% and 19.0%, respectively, indicating that the inter-annual change exerts a huge influence on the overall PDSI change. The results also imply that the effect of the four atmospheric circulations (PDO, ENSO, SH, SO) on PDSI at the multi-decadal variability scale are more important than that at the other scales. Consequently, we state that PDSI variation at the inter-annual scale has more instability, while that at the inter-decadal and multi-decadal scale is more strongly influenced by natural factors.

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