European precipitation connections with large-scale mean sea-level pressure (MSLP) fields

David Lavers, Christel Prudhomme, David M. Hannah

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

26 Citations (Scopus)
207 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

To advance understanding of hydroclimatological processes, this paper links spatiotemporal variability in gridded European precipitation and large-scale mean sea-level pressure (MSLP) time series (1957–2002) using monthly concurrent correlation. Strong negative (positive) correlation near Iceland and (the Azores) is apparent for precipitation in northwest Europe, confirming a positive North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) association. An opposing pattern is found for southwest Europe, and the Mediterranean in winter. In the lee of mountains, MSLP correlation is lower reflecting reduced influence of westerlies on precipitation generation. Importantly, European precipitation is shown to be controlled by physically interpretable climate patterns that change in extent and position from month to month. In spring, MSLP–precipitation correlation patterns move and shrink, reaching a minimum in summer, before expanding in the autumn, and forming an NAO-like dipole in winter. These space–time shifts in correlation regions explain why fixed-point NAO indices have limited ability to resolve precipitation for some European locations and seasons.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)310-327
JournalHydrological Sciences Journal
Volume58
Issue number2
Early online date19 Feb 2013
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2013

Keywords

  • large-scale climate
  • precipitation
  • Europe
  • ERA-40
  • NAO
  • hydroclimatological variability

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'European precipitation connections with large-scale mean sea-level pressure (MSLP) fields'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this