ExMeCy · Cyclone processes leading to extreme rainfall in the Mediterranean region
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2016-05-01 → 2018-04-30
- EU contribution
- €152,653
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF-EF-ST
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Cyclone processes leading to extreme rainfall in the Mediterranean region
"Understudying cyclone dynamics and related rainfall is of high interest to the socio-economic activity in the Mediterranean. Cyclones in the region constitute a major environmental risk as the associated heavy rainfall and thunderstorms affect more than 480 million people on three continents. In fact, several Mediterranean cyclones may attain wind intensities comparable to those of named Atlantic hurricanes. The recent storm ""Rolf"" (Fig.1)– a tropical-like cyclone that occurred in November 2011 to the south of France – caused fatalities and severe damage due to wind gusts of more than 40 m s-1, sea waves that exceeded 6 m, and heavy rainfall that locally reached exceptionally high 6-day accumulated values of about 1000 mm. As a result, it is essential to better understand the dynamics of cyclones to better understand the variability of the regional climate and its extremes. The overall objective of EXMECY is related to the delineation of the relative contribution of the multi-scale synergistic of several processes such as deep convection (DC), air-sea interactions and large-scale forcings, to the intensification of cyclones and the formation of extreme rainfall, as well as to identify the dynamical and water ingredients that turn cyclones into high impact weather events. Our results complement previous studies on the role of DC and the warm conveyor belts (WCB; fast ascending air parcels within the cyclones warm sector) to produce heavy rainfall. Most importantly, we quantified in a climatological framework the relative contribution of these processes and showed their relationship with cyclone rainfall. Especially for tropical-like cyclones, we concluded in a scenario that describes their lifecycle and finally, we addressed the issue of Mediterranean cyclones water budget, sources and precipitation efficiency. "
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Mediterranean cyclones are among the most important natural hazards in the region, affecting more than 135 million people. The physical mechanisms that make Mediterranean cyclones evolve into severe storms are not yet fully understood due to many uncertainties in the underlying atmospheric processes. These processes are mainly associated with deep convection and air-sea interactions at meso-scales, as well as with large-scale atmospheric systems that affect the region. The scientific objective of the project is to show how these processes lead to extreme rainfall in the Mediterranean and contribute to the better forecasting of cyclones induced extreme rainfall.Analysis within ExMeCy is based on a multi-methodological approach that includes fundamental atmospheric dynamical analysis, analysis of lightning and satellite observational datasets, and modelling adapted to the project needs. First the Researcher will detect the cyclones causing extreme rainfall. Then, he will classify these cyclones according to the contribution of the main processes associated with extreme rainfall, namely the deep convection and the airstreams of warm conveyor belts. Different cyclone groups will be thus formed, which will be analyzed separately using new modelling and diagnostic techniques, applied for the first time to Mediterranean cyclones. The decomposition of the complex interactions of atmospheric processes that lead to cyclones intensification and extreme rainfall will constitute ExMeCy’s original results. These results will be eventually used to assess European services models to predict cyclones-related high impact weather in the Mediterranean. The project will be hosted at the Institute for Environmental Research & Sustainable Development (IERSD) of the National Observatory of Athens (NOA).
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- ETHNIKO ASTEROSKOPEIO ATHINON · ATHINACoordinatorGreece
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union