Laura Feudale, Jagadish Shukla

Climate Dynamics

Published date May 1, 2011

Influence of sea surface temperature on the European heat wave of 2003 summer. Part II: a modeling study

  • Uses the Center for Ocean–Land–Atmosphere Studies Atmospheric General Circulation Model to investigate the role of global boundary conditions of sea surface temperature (SST) in the establishment and maintenance of the European heat wave of 2003 summer
  • Finds that the global SST anomalies can explain many major features of the European heat wave during the summer of 2003
  • States that a further experiment has investigated the role of SST outside the Mediterranean area, which supplements the results of a previous study where the role of warm Mediterranean SST was analyzed
  • Results suggest that the SST anomalies had an additional effect of reducing the baroclinicity in the European area reinforcing the blocking circulation and helping to create ideal conditions for the establishment of the heat wave