An empirical classification of weather types in the Mediterranean Basin and their interrelation with rainfall |
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| Authors: | T Littmann |
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| Institution: | (1) Institute of Geography, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany, DE |
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| Abstract: | Summary This paper presents a classification of weather types in the Mediterranean Basin based on cluster analysis of the daily occurrences
of several surface pressure centers and the subjective identification of 500 hPa trough axis positions (1992–1996). The procedure
results in 20 types that explain 69% of overall pressure center variance and which are consistent with the seasonal succession
of regional circulation. The development of weather types in winter is primarily controlled by the eastward propagation of
barotropic waves while departures from the zonal flow pattern in summer tend to be linked to blocked stationary pools. H1-types
with anticyclonic circulation in the Western Mediterranean and cyclonic flow in the eastern part are well interrelated with
zonal and anticyclonic general weather types in Central Europe. H2-types featuring a weak Azores Anticyclone interrelate with
a variety of meridional circulation types after the Hess and Brezowski (1969) classification. The 20 types explain rainfall
variance in the core Mediterranean regions (as defined by principal components) to a high degree while rainfall variance in
marginal regions is influenced by circulation patterns not being typical for the Mediterranean Basin.
Received January 29, 1999 Revised March 28, 2000 |
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