Winter climate anomalies in Europe and their associated circulation at 500 hPa
- Universitaet Hamburg (Germany)
- Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States)
- Universitaet Muenchen (Germany)
Regional anomalies of the surface climate over Europe are defined by a simultanous EOF-analysis of the normalized monthly mean sea level pressure, temperature and precipitation fields of 100 winters at 40 stations. The monthly amplitudes of the first EOF (about 25% of the total variance) are used as an index for the monthly winter climate anomaly. They characterize a high (low) pressure cell over central Europe associated with a positive (negative) temperature and precipitation anomaly over northern (central-southern) Europe as indicated by a northward (southward) shift of the tail end of the cross-Atlantic cyclone track. These patterns resemble the phenomenological anticyclonic (cyclonic) Grosswetter classification and the European blocking (enhanced zonal flow) regime. The second EOF is of similar magnitude and gives latitudinal corrections to these two basic flow regimes. 29 refs., 8 figs., 4 tabs.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- OSTI ID:
- 245349
- Journal Information:
- Climate Dynamics, Journal Name: Climate Dynamics Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 8; ISSN CLDYEM; ISSN 0930-7575
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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