Objectif
Climate and its variability exert fundamental influence on the natural environment and human life. The IPCC TAR states that 'since the start of the satellite record in 1979, both satellite and weather balloon measurements show that the global averaged temperature of the lowest 8 km of the atmosphere has changed by 0.05±0.10°C per decade, but the global average surface temperature has increased significantly by 0.15±0.05°C per decade'.
Higher lapse rate creates instability in the troposphere and makes atmospheric processes more dynamical. It may manifest in stronger convection and increasing storminess. There are many examples of such events from Europe, i.e. flooding in western Poland, the Czech Republic and Eastern Germany in July 1997 and torrential rains in Austrian villages in August 2002. The main objective of this project is to analyze the temporal and spatial variability of the static stability in the atmosphere over Europe and its relation to variability of precipitation totals, the frequency of extreme precipitation events, and the proportion of precipitation falling in extreme events.
The project will evaluate the NCEP/NCAR re-analysis gridded daily data and available station soundings from Europe to analyze the temporal variability of temperature gradients near the ground and up to the middle troposphere. This variability will be related to variability of precipitation totals and seasonal course in different regions of Europe. The frequencies of extremely stable and unstable events will be examined as well as extremely deep lows and high-pressure gradient cases.
The project will constitute an excellent opportunity for transfer of knowledge between our department and other European universities. We will send our researchers to the Institute for Coastal Research at GKSS in Germany and to the Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystems Analysis at Lund University in Sweden. At the same time we want to recruit researchers from other countries.
Champ scientifique
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesatmospheric sciencesmeteorologyatmospheric circulation
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesatmospheric sciencesclimatologyclimatic changesnorth atlantic oscillation
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesatmospheric sciencesmeteorologytroposphere
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesphysical geography
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencesartificial intelligencecomputational intelligence
Mots‑clés
Appel à propositions
FP6-2002-MOBILITY-3
Voir d’autres projets de cet appel