How does the mediterranean sea impact southern europe

You are here: The European environment — state and Countries and regions Mediterranean Sea region This website has limited functionality with javascript off. Please make sure javascript is enabled in your browser. Topics: Climate change mitigation Water and marine environment. Brief introduction The Mediterranean Sea region — the largest of the semi-enclosed European seas — is surrounded by 22 countries, which together share a coastline of 46 km.

Figure 1: Urban population growth of the Mediterranean countries The need for cooperation and coordination amongst all the countries bordering the Mediterranean has long been recognised. The reminder is made of countribution from the West Balkans countries and Turkey.

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Filed under: regional briefings. Document Actions Share with others. Follow us Sign up to receive our news notifications and our quarterly e-newsletter. There are two aspects to this issue. In a first step we investigate the impact of Mediterranean SSTs on the European climatic characteristics during summer.

However, even if SSTs substantially influence the regional climate, the Mediterranean Sea surface waters could still be driven entirely by the atmospheric conditions. In that case the atmosphere would govern the regional heat and moisture budget. In summer , for instance, the Mediterranean SSTs were anomalously high. In a second step we therefore study if this could actually have been different. Colder Mediterranean SSTs could have been established only if there were memory in the surface layers of the Mediterranean Sea during summer that remembered the state of the ocean in the winter or spring before.

While the first question of the influence of Mediterranean SSTs on the climate can be tackled with an atmospheric model and prescribed Mediterranean SSTs, the second, more crucial matter can only be explored using a coupled atmosphere—ocean model. The experiments are performed with a regional atmosphere and a regional coupled atmosphere—ocean model. The use of regional models is distinguished by the advantage that the summer is simulated realistically, and that the regional climate features and interactions are well represented due to the high resolution.

Although the prescribed lateral boundary forcing defines a constraint on the various simulations, the model domain is chosen large enough that a regional signal originating from ocean surface perturbations can develop and propagate inside the area of interest. With respect to the sensitivity of the European summer climate to Mediterranean SSTs, our study essentially confirms the conclusions of Jung et al.

Warmer SSTs produce a heat low at the surface, evaporation is enhanced, and consequently the moisture content of the atmosphere is increased. The heat low over the water induces a modest high pressure anomaly over parts of the continent, but this signal is weak and restricted to the lowest levels of the atmosphere.

Altogether the general circulation is not substantially modified by different Mediterranean SSTs. Although convective activities over landmasses are affected, they are not very consistently altered according to a defined large-scale dynamic response to the change in SSTs. However, in some areas, such as in eastern parts of the Mediterranean basin where subsidence is weakened in the experiment with colder SSTs, a regional signal can be identified.

The main impact of the Mediterranean SSTs on European summer climate becomes evident when analyzing the effect on the moisture balance of the atmosphere. The mean moisture transport is intensified in the simulations with historical anomalously warm SSTs.

But also the eddy transport induces enhanced moisture advection and precipitation over land, as shown by the result of the moisture tracking analysis. In general, the excess moisture does not induce additional rainfall events, but precipitation is intensified and in some cases prolonged.

The initial condition experiments with the regional coupled ocean—atmosphere model suggest that in summer the role of the Mediterranean Sea was essentially passive in nature. At the beginning of the Mediterranean Sea is indeed relatively warm in our historical coupled simulation, a fact that is not automatically implicit in an experiment where the SSTs are free to evolve.

However, the ocean cools in the course of spring and water temperatures become rather low in April. Deeper layers of the Mediterranean Sea actually remain colder than average, but because of the strong stratification of the water in summer, heat from the surface is not transported effectively to deeper levels.

In winter, when the water column in the Mediterranean Sea is less stable, heat exchange can occur more easily across layers. In that case, mixing processes vertically redistribute energy gained at the surface, which induces a longer memory in the SSTs in winter.

In summer, however, the surface water is rather disconnected from deeper layers of the Mediterranean Sea. One can therefore conclude that although the Mediterranean SSTs were indeed distinctly above average in summer , this was mainly due to the anomalously warm conditions of the atmosphere.

It was not an extraordinary state of the Mediterranean Sea that actively enhanced the heat wave over Europe. Two anonymous reviewers greatly helped to improve the paper. Sign in Sign up.

Advanced Search Help. Journal of Climate. Sections Abstract 1. Introduction 2. Climate model and experiments a. Climate model b. Experiments 3. Observations and modeling of summer 4.

Results of the sensitivity experiments a. Uncoupled SST experiment b. Coupled ocean initial condition experiment 5. Discussion and conclusions. Export References. Blackburn , G.

Harrison , B. Hoskins , and J. Hofstra , A. Klein Tank , E. Klok , P. Jones , and M. Ferranti , and A. Ducrocq , and H. Haak , J. Jungclaus , M. Latif , and F.

Somot , S. Josey , C. Dubois , N. Elguindi , and M. Gonzalez-Rouco , J. Luterbacher , and H. Export Figures View in gallery Schematic of the regional coupled atmosphere—ocean model including a hydrological discharge model.

View in gallery Observed anomalies for 2-m top temperature and bottom precipitation in summer compared to the period — View in gallery top Difference between the mean surface temperature of the coupled model minus the uncoupled model over the years — View in gallery top Difference between the mean precipitation of the coupled model minus the uncoupled model over the years — View in gallery top Difference between the mean evaporation of the coupled model minus the uncoupled model over the years — View in gallery Difference between the uncoupled historical run and the uncoupled simulation with climatological SSTs for various quantities.

View in gallery Moisture source for all rainfall events for three Mediterranean subcatchments. View in gallery Precipitation time series for the three selected subcatchments during summer View in gallery Daily time series of top Mediterranean SST, middle 2-m temperature over the Mediterranean Sea, and bottom 2-m temperature over the land part of the Mediterranean catchment for the year View in gallery Daily time series of Mediterranean heat content down to different depths for the year Close View raw image Schematic of the regional coupled atmosphere—ocean model including a hydrological discharge model.

View raw image Observed anomalies for 2-m top temperature and bottom precipitation in summer compared to the period — View raw image top Difference between the mean surface temperature of the coupled model minus the uncoupled model over the years — View raw image top Difference between the mean precipitation of the coupled model minus the uncoupled model over the years — View raw image top Difference between the mean evaporation of the coupled model minus the uncoupled model over the years — View raw image Difference between the uncoupled historical run and the uncoupled simulation with climatological SSTs for various quantities.

View raw image Moisture source for all rainfall events for three Mediterranean subcatchments. View raw image Precipitation time series for the three selected subcatchments during summer View raw image Daily time series of top Mediterranean SST, middle 2-m temperature over the Mediterranean Sea, and bottom 2-m temperature over the land part of the Mediterranean catchment for the year View raw image Daily time series of Mediterranean heat content down to different depths for the year Chart I.

Tracks of Centers of Anticyclones, December, Author: P. Previous Article Next Article. Editorial Type: Article. The Anomalous Summer as a Test Bed. Lorenzo Tomassini 1 and Alberto Elizalde 1. Article History. Download PDF. Full access. E-mail: lorenzo. Introduction The atmospheric dynamics over Europe is characterized by high variability on a wide range of time scales.

Climate model For the present study we use a recently developed regional coupled atmosphere—ocean climate model Elizalde et al. Download Figure Download figure as PowerPoint slide. Experiments All the simulations discussed in this study are performed with limited area models. Table 1. Simulations that were performed for this study. Observations and modeling of summer Pressure anomalies in summer were equivalent barotropic in nature.

Results of the sensitivity experiments The present study investigates the role of the Mediterranean Sea in affecting the European summer climate. The Mediterranean Sea is known to be an important part of the regional water cycle e. The Mediterranean is an area of transition between a temperate Europe with relatively abundant and consistent water resources, and the arid African and Arabian deserts that are very short of water.

The Mediterranean region is experiencing a large stress on its water resources due to a combination of effects ranging from climate change to anthropogenic pressures due to an increasing water demand for domestic and industrial use, expansion of irrigated areas, and tourism activities. These resources are unevenly distributed over space. Water resource availability in the Mediterranean has already been affected by environmental change, and is seriously jeopardized in future environmental, economic, and demographic scenarios Garcia-Ruiz et al.

Most global hydrological models are based on expected trends in precipitation and temperature. However, a number of studies have demonstrated the influence of land cover on river discharge and water resources.

Climate and land cover change artificial and natural reforestation, deforestation, expansion of farming areas are likely to amplify water stress in the Mediterranean region, caused by a combination of decreased water resource availability lower precipitation and increased evapotranspiration and increased water use pressure resulting from economic growth and urban expansion.

Special attention to mountain areas is required, as they are the most important sites for water resource generation worldwide, and particularly in temperate and semi-arid areas including the Mediterranean basin.

However, mountain areas are facing increasing hydrological stress caused by a combination of i increasing temperature and decreasing precipitation, exceeding that in the lowlands; ii land use change, including natural and deliberate reforestation of abandoned farmland, thus increasing evapotranspiration and water consumption; and, iii increasing pressures on surface and groundwater resources, thus reducing river discharge and lowering the depth of the water table in groundwater-dependent areas.

The amount and distribution of rainfall in Mediterranean localities is variable and unpredictable. Maximum precipitation is found in mountainous coastal areas Figure 1. The climate in the region is characterized by hot, dry summers and cool, humid winters. The annual mean sea surface temperature shows a high seasonality and important gradients from west to east and north to south.

Coastal aquifers provide another source of freshwater discharge to the Mediterranean. The submarine groundwater discharge from the coastal aquifers, estimated at 2. Seepage inflows are prevalent on the eastern coast of the Adriatic, dominated by karstic aquifer systems, as well as on the eastern and southern Mediterranean coast with semi-arid and arid conditions, limited precipitation and runoff, and limited surface watercourses and discharge points.

Coastal seepage and submarine discharges are critical to the water balance and seawater quality in the marine sub-basins. They also support wetlands and brackish water habitats, important to biodiversity, and fishery nursery areas. The coastal aquifers are threatened by over-exploitation and consequent seawater intrusion and water and land salinisation, which will add to the deficit in recharge of the Mediterranean.

With a typical tidal range of less than 50 cm, the Mediterranean Sea is microtidal. This reduces the potential for dilution and dispersion of dissolved and particulate wastes.

First, the political collapse of North Africa and the Levant has lifted the barriers to mass migration. Using the Syrian war as a window, Russian forces are now entrenched in Syria. Russia does not have to have a sizeable naval presence beyond one sufficient to supply logistical support to its military forces in Syria, and yet, it has inserted itself into European politics through the Mediterranean.

The third breach is the slow and so far peaceful spread of Chinese influence in the Mediterranean. And when it lacks unity, Europe becomes more dependent on the forces percolating from Africa, the Middle East, and the broader Asian continent. If we assume that Europe continues to be of vital importance to the U. What will China look like as an economic and political superpower after the coronavirus pandemic—and what does it mean for the future of America? The new issue of Hoover Institution's Strategika provides important insight into these questions.

Get your free copy now. View the discussion thread. Issue The prize of the Mediterranean: Europe For Italy, severed from continental Europe by the Alps, and for Greece, anchored in the Aegean archipelago, the stability of the Mediterranean determines their security and prosperity.

The Mediterranean as the sea of land power The second characteristic of the Mediterranean is that its unity and stability depend on the ability of one power—or a group of friendly powers—to control its shores and access points.