Abstract
This study investigates the dominant modes of surface air temperature (SAT) variability and associated circulation changes over the Arabian Peninsula (AP) during summer for the period 1979–2016 based on an empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis. The analysis results reveal that the first leading EOF mode is related to the weakening of the subtropical westerly jet stream, which may impact the AP temperature variability through the mid-latitude Rossby wave trains (successive troughs and ridges). This can be explained by the high correlation of the AP summer temperatures with the quasi-stationary mid-latitude/extratropical Eurasian Rossby wave train type patterns, which influences the air temperature variability by modulating the Asian Jets. Furthermore, the high AP SAT variability is also closely associated with strong middle to lower tropospheric descent (subsidence) anomalies, which cause warm temperature anomalies over this region.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | e860 |
| Journal | Atmospheric Science Letters |
| Volume | 19 |
| Issue number | 11 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Oct 15 2018 |
Bibliographical note
KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2020-10-01Acknowledgements: This research work was supported by the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia and the Saudi ARAMCO-KAUST Marine Environmental Research Center (SAKMERC). The authors would like to thank the anonymous reviewers and Associate Editor for their insightful comments.