Understanding dynamics and current developments of extremes in the Mediterranean region

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The Mediterranean region is critically affected by a wide range of extreme phenomena, such as extreme temperature and heat waves, extreme precipitation and flash floods, droughts, storm surges, etc.
In a special issue on Natural Hazards and Hearth System Sciences, a team of scientists (among them, CMCC researcher P. Lionello from ANS Division) provides a collection of new research contributions addressing description and understanding of climate extremes in the Mediterranean region and of their evolution. To a large extent this special issue is based on studies carried out within the CIRCE FP6-EU project and the MedCLIVAR network.
Results are quite clear concerning climate evolution toward progressively hotter temperature extremes, but more controversial for precipitation, though in the published literature there are indications for a future increasing intensity of hydrological extremes (intense precipitation events and droughts). Scenario simulations suggest an attenuation of extreme storms, winds, waves and surges, but more results are requested for confirming this future change.

The abstract of “Preface: Understanding dynamics and current developments of climate extremes in the Mediterranean region”
There is an increasing interest of scientists on climate extremes. A progressively larger number of papers dealing with climate issues have been produced in the past 15 yr, and those dealing with extremes have increased at an even faster pace. The number of papers on extremes in the Mediterranean follows this overall trend and confirms how extremes are perceived to be important by the scientific community and by society. 
This special issue (which is mainly related to activities of the MedCLIVAR (Mediterranean CLImate VARiability and Predictability) and CIRCE (Climate Change and Impact Research: the Mediterranean Environment) projects), contains thirteen papers that are representative of current research on extremes in the Mediterranean region.
Five have precipitation as its main target, four temperature (one paper addresses both variables), and two droughts; the remaining papers consider sea level, winds and impacts on society. Results are quite clear concerning climate evolution toward progressively hotter temperature extremes, but more controversial for precipitation, though in the published literature there are indications for a future increasing intensity of hydrological extremes (intense precipitation events and droughts). Scenario simulations suggest an attenuation of extreme storms, winds, waves and surges, but more results are requested for confirming this future change.

Read the integral version of the paper:
Garcia-Herrera R. F. , Lionello P., Ulbrich U.
Understanding dynamics and current developments of climate extremes in the Mediterranean region

2014, Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, 14, 309-316

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