scholarly journals A modelling study of photochemical regimes over Europe: robustness and variability

2009 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 1521-1560 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Beekmann ◽  
R. Vautard
Keyword(s):  
Model Uncertainty ◽  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Relative Sensitivity ◽  
Time Variability ◽  
Nox Emissions ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
North Western ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

Abstract. The variability of the relative sensitivity to volatile organic compounds (VOC) or NOx emissions, the chemical regime, over Europe during summers 2001 to 2003 is simulated with a regional scale transport-chemistry model. The robustness of chemical regimes is shown. A VOC sensitive regime over North-Western Europe and a mainly NOx sensitive regime over the Mediterranean basin and Eastern Europe are found, confirming earlier published results. The chemical regime time variability, its robustness to several environmental factors (seasonality, interannual variability) and to model uncertainty are thoroughly analysed. The chemical regime spatial structure only slightly depends on the ozone target considered (daily ozone maximum or AOT40, SOMO35, ...). Differences between particular years and summer months are weak. Day to day variability is significant but does not change the occurrence of one or another chemical regime over North-Western Europe and the Mediterranean basin. Expected decreases in anthropogenic NOx emissions over Europe since the last and for the next few decades have shifted and will shift chemical regimes to more NOx sensitive. The predictive and explanatory use of chemical regime indicator species is also investigated. For all cases but near ship tracks over the Mediterranean basin, the spatial pattern of chemical regimes appears to be robust with respect to model uncertainty.

scholarly journals A modelling study of photochemical regimes over Europe: robustness and variability

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (20) ◽  
pp. 10067-10084 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Beekmann ◽  
R. Vautard
Keyword(s):  
Model Uncertainty ◽  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Time Variability ◽  
Nox Emissions ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
North Western ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

Abstract. The variability of the relative sensitivity of photochemical ozone formation to volatile organic compounds (VOC) and NOx emissions, the chemical regime, over Europe during summers 2001 to 2003 is simulated with a regional scale transport-chemistry model. The robustness and variability of chemical regimes is shown. A VOC sensitive regime over North-Western Europe and a mainly NOx sensitive regime over the Mediterranean basin and Eastern Europe are found, confirming earlier published results. The chemical regime time variability, its robustness with respect to several environmental factors (seasonality, interannual variability) and with respect to model uncertainty are thoroughly analysed. For the regions with well pronounced chemical regimes over North-Western Europe and the Mediterranean, the chemical regime occurrence only slightly depends on the ozone target considered – daily ozone or Ox (= O3 + NO2) maximum or mean, AOT's, SOMO35, .... For these regions, differences between particular years and summer months are weak, day to day variability is significant but does not change the occurrence of one or another chemical regime. On the contrary, over North-Eastern Germany, the chemical regime changes form one day to another and is also dependent on the ozone target chosen. Expected decreases in anthropogenic NOx emissions over Europe since the last and for the next few decades have shifted and will shift chemical regimes to more NOx sensitive. The predictive skill of chemical regime indicator species is made evident at continental scale, extending their spatial range of applicability with respect to earlier studies. Several sensitivity tests were performed in order to account for major sources of model uncertainty. With the exception of regions near ship tracks over the Mediterranean basin, the spatial pattern of chemical regimes appears to be robust with respect to model uncertainty for all cases tested.

Vector-borne disease distributions and risks to the UK

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 210-217
Author(s):  
Donato Traversa
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Sand Flies ◽  
Vector Borne Diseases ◽  
Vector Borne ◽  
The Uk ◽  
And Control ◽  
North Western ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

In the recent decades, the geographic distribution of vector-borne diseases (VBDs) of dogs and cats has changed for intrinsic and extrinsic reasons. Therefore some infections/infestations, some of zoonotic concern, have been recorded in geographic areas where they were unexpected. In Europe, arthropods (e.g. ticks, fleas, mosquitoes and sand flies) and the pathogens that they transmit are in general considered to be more frequent in the Mediterranean Basin. Nonetheless, a possible occurrence in other regions should not be a priori excluded, given that travels of animals (to or imported from endemic areas), movements of goods and global warming all may foster the introduction of vectors and/or transmitted pathogens in previously free areas. This could also be the case in the UK, which, because of its territorial characteristics as an island area in north-western Europe, is traditionally considered at minor risk of VBDs. Given the growing increase of movements and travels of pets, and changes in the phenology of many arthropod vectors, it is crucial that veterinary practitioners are aware of and prepared to diagnose, treat and control a series of unexpected diseases.

Cumani

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorenzo Pubblici
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Eastern Asia ◽  
Global Space ◽  
Eurasian Continent ◽  
Social Heterogeneity ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

This book is a synthesis of the great migrations of the 6th-13th centuries, focused on the median space between the two extremes of the Eurasian continent: Western Europe and Eastern Asia. In the light of the sources, it aims to reassess the complexity of the relationships between the nomads of the steppes and the sedentarized societies that came into contact with them. The choice to focus on the Qïpčaq-Cumans is due to their history, unique because they never constituted an organized and centralized center of collective power (stateless nomads); and paradigmatic, because it encompasses all the constitutive elements of steppe nomadism: social heterogeneity, mobility, military preparation, attraction for trade and willingness to negotiate. The migrations of the nomads of the steppes and their arrival close to the great organized communities of the Islamic and Christian world, from Asia to Europe, contributed to triggering a process of integration between Asia and the Mediterranean basin, a process that the Mongol invasion and conquest completed, giving birth to a new shared global space.

Vector-borne disease distributions and risks to the UK

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Donato Traversa
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Sand Flies ◽  
Vector Borne Diseases ◽  
Vector Borne ◽  
The Uk ◽  
And Control ◽  
North Western ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

In the recent decades, the geographic distribution of vector-borne diseases (VBDs) of dogs and cats has changed for intrinsic and extrinsic reasons. Therefore some infections/infestations, some of zoonotic concern, have been recorded in geographic areas where they were unexpected. In Europe, arthropods (e.g. ticks, fleas, mosquitoes and sand flies) and the pathogens that they transmit are in general considered to be more frequent in the Mediterranean Basin. Nonetheless, a possible occurrence in other regions should not be a priori excluded, given that travels of animals (to or imported from endemic areas), movements of goods and global warming all may foster the introduction of vectors and/or transmitted pathogens in previously free areas. This could also be the case in the UK, which, because of its territorial characteristics as an island area in north-western Europe, is traditionally considered at minor risk of VBDs. Given the growing increase of movements and travels of pets, and changes in the phenology of many arthropod vectors, it is crucial that veterinary practitioners are aware of and prepared to diagnose, treat and control a series of unexpected diseases.

scholarly journals Sea Surface Winds over the Mediterranean Basin from Satellite Data (2000–04): Meso- and Local-Scale Features on Annual and Seasonal Time Scales

2007 ◽  
Vol 46 (6) ◽  
pp. 814-827 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Zecchetto ◽  
F. De Biasio
Keyword(s):  
Wind Stress ◽  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Local Scale ◽  
Wind Fields ◽  
Wind Variability ◽  
Levantine Basin ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

Abstract This paper investigates the mean spatial features of the winds in the Mediterranean and Black Seas using the wind fields observed by the SeaWinds scatterometer. Five years (2000–04) of data have been analyzed on annual and seasonal basis, with particular attention paid to the meso- and local scales. The fields show the existence of structured regional wind systems—in particular, the mistral in the western Mediterranean and the etesians in the Levantine Basin, which are characterized, respectively, by high wind variability and moderate steadiness and by low wind variability and high steadiness. Estimated seasonal mean wind stress τ fields show that the values falling in the top range 0.15 < τ < 0.20 N m−2 affect a large portion of the Mediterranean Basin in winter, in the belt extending from the Gulf of Lion up to the Levantine Basin and the northern Black Sea. In the other seasons, only few regions experience such high values of τ. The analysis of the wind vorticity shows and quantifies the main cyclonic and anticyclonic circulations, and the study of the joint features of wind stress and vorticity has identified the strongest and most persisting local-scale wind circulations produced by the interaction between the wind flow and the orography. They occur at the lee side of Sardinia–Corse and Crete–Rhodos Islands and persist in all seasons, with some seasonal variation in strength and extent. The areas affected by the orographic disturbances are characterized by high values of wind stress and by a structure of vorticity showing alternating areas of cyclonic and anticyclonic circulations, whose strength is comparable to those of the regional-scale cyclones.

scholarly journals Scenarios in the development of Mediterranean cyclones

2007 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 59-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Romem ◽  
B. Ziv ◽  
H. Saaroni
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Ocean ◽  
North Africa ◽  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Winter Season ◽  
Sahara Desert ◽  
Sea Level Pressure ◽  
Mediterranean Cyclones ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

Abstract. The Mediterranean is one of the most cyclogenetic regions in the world. The cyclones are concentrated along its northern coasts and their tracks are oriented more or less west-east, with several secondary tracks connecting them to Europe and to North Africa. The aim of this study is to examine scenarios in the development of Mediterranean cyclones, based on five selected winter seasons (October–March). We detected the cyclones subjectively using 6-hourly Sea-Level Pressure maps, based on the NCAR/NCEP reanalysis archive. HMSO (1962) has shown that most Mediterranean cyclones (58%) enter the Mediterranean from the Atlantic Ocean (through Biscay and Gibraltar), and from the south-west, the Sahara Desert, while the rest are formed in the Mediterranean Basin itself. Our study revealed that only 13% of the cyclones entered the Mediterranean, while 87% were generated in the Mediterranean Basin. The entering cyclones originate in three different regions: the Sahara Desert (6%), the Atlantic Ocean (4%), and Western Europe (3%). The cyclones formed within the Mediterranean Basin were found to generate under the influence of external cyclonic systems, i.e. as "daughter cyclones" to "parent cyclones" or troughs. These parent systems are located in three regions: Europe (61%), North Africa and the Red Sea (34.5%) and the Mediterranean Basin itself (4.5%). The study presents scenarios in the development of Mediterranean cyclones during the winter season, emphasizing the cyclogenesis under the influence of various external forcing. The large difference with respect to the findings of HMSO (1962) is partly explained by the dominance of spring cyclones generating in the Sahara Desert, especially in April and May that were not included in our study period.

Recent discoveries of alien Watersipora (Bryozoa) in Western Europe, with redescriptions of species

Zootaxa ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 2093 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOHN S. RYLAND ◽  
HANS DE BLAUWE ◽  
RICHARD LORD ◽  
JOSHUA A. MACKIE
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Analysis ◽  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Cool Temperate ◽  
The World ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Shipping Traffic ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

We report the introduction of the encrusting bryozoan Watersipora subtorquata to Atlantic coasts of Europe. This species is highly invasive, having become common on coastlines throughout cool-temperate areas of the world since the 1980s. Confusion exists over the identity of this and other Watersipora species, which lack characters that are conventionally used in bryozoan systematics. W. subtorquata has not been well distinguished from W. cucullata which, reports dating back to the mid 1800s suggest, is native to the Mediterranean Basin or represents an early shipping introduction. W. cucullata has been placed in synonymy with W. subovoidea, a taxon lacking a holotype. We designate a neotype for W. subovoidea, recognizing its conspecificity with W. cucullata, and demonstrate a simple morphometric means of separating this species from W. subtorquata using zooid feature ratios (operculum area versus total frontal shield). An orange watersiporid population that was first recognized in Guernsey, in the European-Atlantic, in 2007, is shown by morphometric and mitochondrial genetic analysis to match W. subtorquata. It contains the commonest, widely introduced COI haplotype that, along with other evidence, suggests recent transfer via shipping traffic to Europe. A second population (previously referred alternatively to W. aterrima or W. subovoidea) has been reported from Brittany and Bordeaux (Atlantic coastline, France). This population is also aligned with W. subtorquata based on morphometrics and COI haplotype. In contrast to the Guernsey introduction, the earlier French-Atlantic introduction appears related to oyster imports from Japan.

scholarly journals Source attribution and radiative impacts of the Mediterranean summertime ozone maximum: a satellite and model perspective

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 27219-27254
Author(s):  
N. A. D. Richards ◽  
S. R. Arnold ◽  
M. P. Chipperfield ◽  
G. Miles ◽  
A. Rap ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Long Range ◽  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Mediterranean Region ◽  
Lower Troposphere ◽  
Nox Emissions ◽  
Voc Emissions ◽  
Ozone Maximum ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

Abstract. The Mediterranean troposphere exhibits a marked and localised summertime ozone maximum, which has the potential to strongly impact regional air quality and radiative forcing. The Mediterranean region can be perturbed by long-range pollution import from Northern Europe, North America and Asia, in addition to local emissions, which may all contribute to regional ozone enhancements. We exploit ozone profile observations from the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) and the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment-2 (GOME-2) satellite instruments, and an offline 3-D global chemical transport model (TOMCAT) to investigate the geographical and vertical structure of the summertime tropospheric ozone maximum over the Mediterranean region. We show that both TES and GOME-2 are able to detect enhanced levels of ozone in the lower troposphere over the region during the summer. These observations, together with surface measurements, are used to evaluate the TOMCAT model's ability to capture the observed ozone enhancement. The model is used to quantify contributions to the ozone maximum from anthropogenic and natural volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, anthropogenic NOx emissions, wildfire emissions and long-range import of ozone and precursors. Our results show a dominance of natural VOC emissions on ozone in the Mediterranean Basin over anthropogenic VOC emissions. However, local anthropogenic NOx emissions are the overall dominant contribution to near-surface ozone. We also show that in the lower troposphere, global VOC emissions account for 40% of the VOC contribution to ozone in the region, whereas, for NOx the global contribution is only 10% at these altitudes. However, in the mid and upper troposphere almost all of the ozone comes from long-range transport for all emission sources. In terms of radiative effects on regional climate, ozone contributions from non-local sources are more important with Asian monsoon outflow having the greatest impact. Our results allow improved understanding of the large-scale processes controlling air quality and climate in the region of the Mediterranean Basin.

Italian network of four permanent observatories: implementation of background data selection (BaDSfit) and 5-year analysis of the atmospheric CO2 mixing ratio.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela Trisolino ◽  
Alcide di Sarra ◽  
Damiano Sferlazzo ◽  
Salvatore Piacentino ◽  
Francesco Monteleone ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Hot Spot ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Data Selection ◽  
Background Data ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

<p>The Mediterranean basin is considered a global hot-spot region for climate change and air-quality. CO<sub>2</sub> is the single most-important anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) in the atmosphere, accounting approximatively for ∼63% of the anthropogenic radiative forcing by long-lived GHG. According to Le Quérée et al. (2018), the increasing of the atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> mixing ratios in the global atmosphere is driven by fossil fuel and cement production.<br>In order to reduce GHG emissions and taking into account the needs for economy and society development, schemes of regulation and emission trading have been adopted at international, national, and city levels. The implementation of these regulation, to achieve the goal successfully, needs scientific evidence and information provided on consistent datasets. In the last year, efforts are dedicated to set up harmonized reference networks at difference scales (WMO/GAW, AGAGE, ICOS).<br>In this work, we analysed a set of continuous long-term measurements of CO<sub>2</sub> carried out at 4 atmospheric observatories in Italy belonging to the WMO/GAW network and spanning from the Alpine region to central Mediterranean Sea: Plateau Rosa (western Italian Alps, 3480 m a.s.l.), Mt. Cimone (northern Apennines, 2165 m a.s.l.), Capo Granitola (southern Sicily coastline) and Lampedusa Island. Mt. Cimone is also a “class-2” ICOS station, while Plateau Rosa and Lampedusa are in the labelling process. Starting time of GHG observations range from 1979 for Mt. Cimone to 2015 for Capo Granitola. Due to their different locations and ecosystems, they provide useful hints to investigate CO<sub>2</sub> variability on different latitudinal and altitudinal ranges in the Mediterranean basin and to study of natural and anthropogenic-related processes able to affect the observed variability.<br>The study addresses primarily differences in daily and seasonal cycles at the different sites, and implemented a procedure to identify background conditions called BaDSfit (Background Data Selection for Italian stations; Trisolino et al., submitted). This methodology was originally used at Plateau Rosa station (Apadula, 2019) and it is based on the Mauna Loa data selection method (Tans and Thoning, 2008). BaDSfit consist of three steps and an optimization of the procedure was carried out with a sensitivity study.  Marked differences among the daily cycles at the various sites exist. The effect of the data selection on the seasonal and diurnal cycle and long-term evolution is investigated. The BaDSfit lead to a more coherent diurnal and seasonal evolution of the different datasets, is able to identify background condition and allows the separation of local/regional scale from large scale phenomena in the CO<sub>2</sub> time series.</p>

scholarly journals Cross-regional modelling of fire occurrence in the Alps and the Mediterranean Basin

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (8) ◽  
pp. 712
Author(s):  
İsmail Bekar ◽  
Çaǧatay Tavşanoǧlu ◽  
G. Boris Pezzatti ◽  
Harald Vacik ◽  
Juli G. Pausas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Regional Model ◽  
Fire Occurrence ◽  
Regional Models ◽  
The Alps ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

In recent decades, changes in fire activity have been observed in Europe. Fires can have large consequences for the provisioning of ecosystem services and for human well-being. Therefore, understanding the drivers of fire occurrence and improving the predictive capability of fire occurrence models is of utmost importance. So far, most studies have focused on individual regions with rather low spatial resolution, and have lacked the ability to apply the models in different regions. Here, a species distribution modelling approach (Maxent) was used to model fire occurrence in four regions across the Mediterranean Basin and the Alps using several environmental variables at two spatial resolutions. Additionally, a cross-regional model was developed and spatial transferability tested. Most models showed good performance, with fine resolution models always featuring somewhat higher performance than coarse resolution models. When transferred across regions, the performance of regional models was good only under similar environmental conditions. The cross-regional model showed a higher performance than the regional models in the transfer tests. The results suggest that a cross-regional approach is most robust when aiming to use fire occurrence models at the regional scale but beyond current environmental conditions, for example in scenario analyses of the impacts of climate change.

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