The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) during summer is an unexpectedly overlooked topic. As it turns out, the temperature NAO-related trend during July and August over the eastern Mediterranean is among the most pronounced signals over the entire northern Hemisphere.
Negative or relatively lower NAO phases lead to meridional (Etesian winds) circulation suppression and have many critical variables such as air temperatures (mid troposphere to surface), SST, coastal upwelling and chlorophyll concentrations over the Aegean and Levantine
Seas. This study is based on a synergistic usage of re-analysis, satellite (MSU) and buoy (HCMR-Poseidon)-ground meteorological stations located in the vicinity. The summer of 2010 has come as a corroboration to the aforementioned findings, a period during which the chlorophyll
concentration and frequency of heat waves over the study area also hit 15-year record low and high accordingly. The featured study titled “The summer NAO effect over the eastern Mediterranean”, by Chronis, T., Raitsos, D., and Kassis, D., has been submitted to
the Journal of Climate.

Visit Coordinator: Steve Goodman (NASA/MSFC)