General atmospheric conditions and macroscale processes

Uri Dayan*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

The most relevant teleconnection pattern influencing the Mediterranean basin (MB) is the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), which affects not only climatic conditions but also climatic-derived conditions such as air pollutant transport and dispersion. A positive relationship between concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHG) and the NAO is described. Furthermore, studies relating the NAO index (NAOI) and wet deposition over the MB found that negative NAOI years coincide with a predominantly meridional flow leading to more sulfate deposition over the northern Mediterranean as compared to positive NAOI years characterized by a zonal flow and less pollution. Another macroscale process affecting the MB is the dynamical subsidence generated by global-scale processes. Both mechanisms, the African monsoon, as part of the Hadley cell, and the Asian monsoon, as part of the Walker circulation, act in concert and affect mainly the eastern MB as reflected in the much lower lid separating the top of the surface layer and the base of the downdraft of the subsiding air masses. They make the mixing layer shallower and therefore confine the vertical dispersion of trace gases compared to the mixing layer characterizing the western MB. A description of this process based on a few available articles is presented.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationAtmospheric Chemistry in the Mediterranean Region
Subtitle of host publicationVolume 1 - Background Information and Pollutant Distribution
PublisherSpringer International Publishing
Pages101-112
Number of pages12
ISBN (Electronic)9783031127410
ISBN (Print)9783031127403
DOIs
StatePublished - 22 Jul 2023

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023. All rights reserved.

Keywords

  • African monsoon
  • Atmospheric dispersion and transport
  • Azores High
  • Global scale processes
  • Hadley cell
  • Local-micro scale processes
  • Macroscale processes
  • Mediterranean climatic conditions
  • Meridional circulation
  • Meso scale processes
  • NAO index (NAOI)
  • North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO)
  • Pollutant deposition
  • Rossby wave
  • Subsidence
  • Subtropical Jet (STJ)
  • Sulfate deposition
  • Synoptic scale processes
  • Teleconnection pattern
  • Walker circulation
  • Zonal circulation

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