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Vorticity and pressure anomalies in the western Mediterranean during El NiñO/Southern Oscillation extremes
Author(s) -
LAITA MERCEDES,
GRIMALT MIQUEL
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
international journal of climatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.58
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-0088
pISSN - 0899-8418
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0088(199704)17:5<475::aid-joc142>3.0.co;2-f
Subject(s) - climatology , anomaly (physics) , atmospheric circulation , mediterranean climate , vorticity , pressure system , el niño southern oscillation , environmental science , low pressure area , mediterranean sea , atmospheric pressure , geology , oceanography , geography , meteorology , vortex , physics , archaeology , condensed matter physics
By means of a statistical study of percentiles, applied to bi‐monthly seasons of composite 2‐year periods centred in the year of occurrence of a warm or cold ENSO extreme, we show the climatic influence of these events on the western Mediterranean area. The study is developed over a 30‐year period (1961–1990). The variables used are the number of cyclonic days and the number of days having negative pressure anomalies in the area. Daily sea‐level atmospheric pressure data have been used to estimate both daily mean wind and vorticity in the study zone. The main influence found is that after a warm extreme year, during the March–April bi‐month, there is a decrease in the number of days with both cyclonic circulation and negative pressure anomaly. © 1997 by the Royal Meteorological Society. Int. J. Climatol. 17: 475–482, 1997.