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The impact of surface circulation on significant daily rainfall patterns over Mallorca
Author(s) -
Sumner Graham,
Guijarro José A.,
Ramis Clemente
Publication year - 1995
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/joc.3370150607
Subject(s) - climatology , mediterranean climate , atmospheric circulation , circulation (fluid dynamics) , environmental science , principal component analysis , spatial distribution , geography , geology , mathematics , statistics , physics , remote sensing , archaeology , thermodynamics
This study is a preliminary attempt to associate the distribution of significant rainfalls over the island of Mallorca with recognized dominant surface circulation types. Based on the extraction of five prominent PCs from a principal components analysis using a T ‐mode (time) correlation matrix, six dominant daily rainfall spatial patterns have been isolated using cluster analysis for significant rainfall days (area mean ⩾ 5–0 mm) for the island of Mallorca in the western Mediterranean. These six ‘pattern groups’, and a number of important subgroups, are linked closely to the prevailing near‐surface circulation. Seven dominant circulation types have been identified, which are closely, although not perfectly, associated with rainfall distribution, so that a conceptual spatial rainfall model for the island seems possible. Such a model would be most useful if used in conjunction with NWP forecasts of probable rainfall amount issued for the area, and would provide valuable local information on likely heavy rainfall occurrence.