Influence of the NAO on the northwestern Mediterranean wave climate

Bartomeu Cañellas; Alejandro Orfila; Fernando Méndez; Alberto Álvarez; Joaquín Tintoré

doi:10.3989/scimar.2010.74n1055

Authors

Bartomeu Cañellas IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB)
Alejandro Orfila IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB)
Fernando Méndez Environmental Hydraulic Institute, IH Cantabria, Universidad de Cantabria
Alberto Álvarez IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB)
Joaquín Tintoré IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3989/scimar.2010.74n1055

Keywords:

teleconnections, wave climate, NAO, EOF, Mediterranean Sea, variability

Abstract

This study examines teleconnections between the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the wave climate of the northwestern Mediterranean Sea (NWM), defined by the monthly mean significant wave height (SWH) and the 95th percentile significant wave height (95th percentile SWH), in the period ranging from 1958 to 2001. The data analyzed comes from the multidecadal hindcast over Europe carried out during the HIPOCAS project. In order to avoid fictitious cross-correlations, data were prewhitened by fitting a p-order autoregressive model. To split the temporal and spatial variability, an EOF encoding technique was applied to residuals before searching for teleconnections. We found the northwestern Mediterranean wave climate to be influenced by the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) with an instantaneous response. When the NAO is in its positive phase, positive anomalies in the SWH and the 95th percentile SWH appear in the area between the Balearic Islands, the Gulf of Lions and the Catalonian coast.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Álvarez, A. – 2003. Performance of Satellite-Based Ocean Forecast¬ing (SOFT) Systems: AStudy in the Adriatic Sea. J. Atmos. Ocean. Technol. 20(5): 717-729. doi:10.1175/1520-0426(2003)20<717:POSBOF>2.0.CO;2

Akaike, H. – 1974. Anew look at the statistical model identifica¬tion. IEEE Trans. Automat. Contr., 19: 716-723. doi:10.1109/TAC.1974.1100705

Campins, J., A. Genoves, A. Jansa, J.A. Guijarro and C. Ramis. – 2000. ACatalogue and AClassification of Surface Cyclones for the Western Mediterranean. Int. J. Climatol., 20: 969-984. doi:10.1002/1097-0088(200007)20:9<969::AID-JOC519>3.0.CO;2-4

Cañellas, B., A. Orfila, F.J. Mendez, M. Menendez, L. Gomez-Pujol and J. Tintoré. – 2007. Application of a POTmodel to estimate the extreme significant wave height levels around the Balearic Sea (Western Mediterranean). J. Coast. Res., 50: 329-333.

Cavaleri, L. and M. Sclavo. – 2006. The calibration of wind and wave model data in the Mediterranean Sea. Coastal Eng., 53(7): 613-627. doi:10.1016/j.coastaleng.2005.12.006

Hurrell, J.W. – 1995. Decadal Trends in the North Atlantic Oscillation: Regional Temperatures and Precipitation. Science, 269(5224): 676-679 doi:10.1126/science.269.5224.676 PMid:17758812

Hurrell, J.W., Y. Kushnir and M. Visbeck. – 2001. The North Atlantic Oscillation. Science, Volume 291 (5504): 603-605). doi:10.1126/science.1058761 PMid:11158663

Jacob, D. and R. Podzun. – 1997. Sensitivity studies with the regional climate model REMO, Meteorol. Atmos. Phys., 63 (1-2) doi:10.1007/BF01025368

Jaspers, N.H. – 1956. Statistical distribution patterns of ocean waves and of wave induced stresses and motions with engineering applications, Trans. Soc. Nav. Archit. Mar. Eng., 64: 375-432.

Kalnay, E., M. Kanamitsu, R. Kistler, W. Collins, D. Deaven, L. Gandin, M. Iredell, S. Saha, G. White, J. Woollen, Y. Zhu, A. Leetmaa, R. Reynolds, M. Chelliah, W. Ebisuzaki, W. Higgins, J. Janowiak, K. Mo, C. Ropelewski, J. Wang, R. Jenne and D. Joseph. – 1996. The NCEP/NCAR40-years Reanalysis Project, Bull. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 77: 437-471. doi:10.1175/1520-0477(1996)077<0437:TNYRP>2.0.CO;2

Katz, R.W. – 1988. Use of cross correlations in the search for teleconnections. J. Climate, 8: 241-253. doi:10.1002/joc.3370080303

Konyaev, K.V. – 1990. Spectral analysis of physical oceanographic data. In: Russian Translation Series. (Vol. 81). A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam.

Kushnir, Y., V.J. Cardone, J.G. Greenwood and M.A. Cane. – 1997. The recent increase in North Atlantic Wave Heights, J. Climate, 10(8): 2107-2113. doi:10.1175/1520-0442(1997)010<2107:TRIINA>2.0.CO;2

Krogstad, H.E. and S. Barstow. – 1999. Satellite wave measurements for coastal applications. Coastal Eng., 37: 283-307, doi:10.1016/S0378-3839(99)00030-7

Lionello, P. and A. Sanna. – 2005. Mediterranean wave climate variability and its links with NAOand Indian Monsoon. Clim. Dyn., 25(6): 611-623. doi:10.1007/s00382-005-0025-4

Lionello, P and M.B. Galati. – 2008. Links of the significant wave height distribution in the Mediterranean Sea with the Northern Hemisphere teleconnection pattern. Adv. Geosci., 17: 13-18.

Linonello, P., S. Cogo, M.B. Galati and A. Sanna. – 2008. The Mediterranean surface wave climate inferred from future scenario simulations, Global Planet. Change, 63(2-3): 152-162. doi:10.1016/j.gloplacha.2008.03.004

Orfila, A., A. Alvarez, J. Tintore, A. Jordi and G. Basterretxea. – 2005. Climate teleconnections at monthly time scales in the Ligurian Sea inferred from satellite data. Progr. Oceanogr., 66(2-4): 157-170. doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2004.07.011

Picornell, M.A., A. Jansa, A. Genoves and J. Campins. – 2001. Automated Database from the HIRLAM(INM)-0.5º Analyses in the Western Mediterranean. Int. J. Climatol., 21: 335-354 doi:10.1002/joc.621

Preisendorfer, R.W. – 1988. Principal component analysis in meteorology and oceanography. Elsevier Science Publishing Company, New York.

Queffeulou, P. – 2005. Wave height variability over the Mediterranean Sea, using altimeter data. Proceedings of the 5th International Symposium on Ocean Wave Measurements and Analysis (Madrid, Spain), Paper 21, CD-ROM.

Queffeulou, P. and A. Bentamy. – 2007. Analysis of wave height variability using altimeter neasurements: application to the Mediterranean Sea. J. Atmos. Ocean. Tech., 24(12): 2078-2092, doi:10.1175/2007JTECH0507.1

Ratsimandresy, A.W., M.G. Sotillo, J.C. Carretero Albiach, E. Álvarez Fanjul and H. Hajji. – 2008. A44-year high resolution ocean and atmospheric hindcast for the Mediterranean Basin developed within the HIPOCASProject. Coastal Eng., 55: 827-842. doi:10.1016/j.coastaleng.2008.02.025

Rodwell, M.J., D.P. Rowell and C.K. Folland. – 1999. Oceanic forcing of the wintertime North Atlantic Oscillation and European climate. Nature, 398: 320-323. doi:10.1038/18648

Rogers, J.C. – 1997. North Atlantic storm track variability and its association to the North Atlantic Oscillation and climate variability of northern Europe, J. Climate, 10: 1635-1647 doi:10.1175/1520-0442(1997)010<1635:NASTVA>2.0.CO;2

Soares, C.G. – 2008. Hindcast of dynamic processes of the ocean and coastal areas of Europe. Coastal Eng., 55: 825-826, doi:10.1016/j.coastaleng.2008.02.007

Sotillo, M.G., R. Aznar and F. Valero. – 2006. Mediterranean offshore extreme wind analysis from the 44-year HIPOCASdatabase: different approaches towards the estimation of return periods and levels of extreme values. Adv. Geosci., 7: 275-278.

Tomas, A., F.J. Mendez and I.J. Losada. – 2008. Amethod for spatial calibration of wave hindcast data bases. Cont. Shelf Res., 28(3): 391-398. doi:10.1016/j.csr.2007.09.009

Trigo, R.M., T.J. Osborn and J.M. Corte-Real. – 2002a. The North Atlantic Oscillation influence on Europe: climate impacts and associated physical mechanisms, Climate Res., 20(1): 9-17. doi:10.3354/cr020009

Trigo, I.F., G.R. Bigg and T.D. Davies. – 2002b. Climatology of cyclogenesis mechanisms in the Mediterranean. Mon. Weather Rew., 130(3): 549-569. doi:10.1175/1520-0493(2002)130<0549:COCMIT>2.0.CO;2

Vignudelli, S., G. P. Gasparini, M. Astraldi and M. Schiano. – 1999. Apossible influence of the North Atlantic Oscillation on the circulation of the Western Mediterranean Sea. Geophys. Res. Lett., 26(5): 623-626. doi:10.1029/1999GL900038

Woolf, D. K., P.G. Challenor and P.D. Cotton. – 2002. The variability and predictability of North Atlantic wave climate, J. Geophys. Res., 107(C10): 9.1-9.14.