Mediterranean Climate Variability

Front Cover
P. Lionello, Paola Malanotte-Rizzoli, R. Boscolo
Elsevier, Aug 22, 2006 - Science - 438 pages
This multi-authored book provides an updated description of climate variability in the Mediterranean basin, focusing on decadal and centennial time scales and on the results available on the impact of future emission scenarios at regional scale. The authors describs both local physical processes responsible for these variability - such as changes in the surface properties and land use- and globalprocesses - such as changes in the large scale atmospheric circulation associated to global warming, NAO, tropical monsoon and ENSO. Regional climate change issues are also addressed.

Mediterranean Climate Variability aims to review the research on this region and to provide at the same time both an introduction and a reference for researchers. It covers topics typical of Climatology, Climate history, Meteorology, Oceanography, Environmental Science but the information here provided would also be useful for research in agriculture, social and economic studies. It is addressed to scientists and students interested in the Mediterranean climate and environment. Some topics have interesting connections to nearby regions: Northern Atlantic, West Africa, central and Eastern Europe. Each chapter will contain a summary meant to provide information to policy makers, researchers from other fields, and in general to a wide audience without a technical expertise on climate.

* Provides an updated analysis of the Mediterranean climate features and guidelines for future research
* Considers both oceanographic and atmospheric aspects
* Analyzes the Mediterranean climate in a global perspective
 

Contents

An Overview of the Main Characteristics and Issues
1
A Review
27
ENSO South Asian and African Monsoons Hurricanes and Saharan Dust
149
Relations between Variability in the Mediterranean Region and MidLatitude Variability
179
Changes in the Oceanography of the Mediterranean Sea and their Link to Climate Variability
227
The Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea as Connected Systems
283
Climatology and Effects on the Environment
325
Regional Atmospheric Marine Processes and Climate Modelling
373
The Mediterranean Climate Change under Global Warming
399
Subject Index
417
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About the author (2006)

Dr P. Lionello is chairman of the international program MedCLIVAR (Mediterranean CLImate VARiability and predictability) and the International Scientific Steering Committee of the HyMeX program. He is a member of the Scientific Advisory Council of ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts). He is currently teaching physics of the atmosphere and of the oceans at the University of Lecce for courses in physics and environmental science.