Luis Gimeno-Sotelo, José Carlos Fernández-Alvarez, Raquel Nieto, Sergio M. Vicente-Serrano, Luis Gimeno
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
The Euromediterranean area is a key region in which the link between atmospheric moisture transport and hydrometeorological extremes concerns. Atmospheric rivers, the main moisture transport mechanism affecting the region, play a notable role in extreme precipitation there. Moreover, moisture transport deficits from two of the major oceanic moisture sources of the planet, the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, are strongly related to drought occurrence in that region. Here, we examine the projected changes in these relationships with global warming, under a high-emission scenario (shared socioeconomic pathway 5–8.5). Here we show that, for the mid-21st century, a moderate increase in the influence of moisture transport on winter precipitation maxima is projected, in line with its increasing concurrence with atmospheric rivers. A stronger increase is estimated for the relationship between moisture transport deficits and drought occurrence, for which probabilities between two and three times greater than those observed in the present climate are obtained for the mid- and end-21st century. This highlights the increasing importance of moisture transport from the ocean in future droughts in the region, especially in the context of reduced local moisture inputs from terrestrial evaporation as a consequence of drier soil. The mid-21st century predicts a moderate increase in the influence of moisture transport on winter precipitation maxima in the Euromediterranean region, in line with a higher concurrence with atmospheric rivers, while the relationship between moisture transport deficits and drought occurrence intensifies for both mid- and end-21st century, according to results from simulations under a high-emission scenario.
期刊介绍:
Communications Earth & Environment is an open access journal from Nature Portfolio publishing high-quality research, reviews and commentary in all areas of the Earth, environmental and planetary sciences. Research papers published by the journal represent significant advances that bring new insight to a specialized area in Earth science, planetary science or environmental science.
Communications Earth & Environment has a 2-year impact factor of 7.9 (2022 Journal Citation Reports®). Articles published in the journal in 2022 were downloaded 1,412,858 times. Median time from submission to the first editorial decision is 8 days.