Climatic change over the mediterranean and links to the more general atmospheric circulation

The marine climate over the Mediterranean Sea has been examined for the winter and summer seasons over the period 1946-1987. Little change was found in the winter over this period, apart from some evidence of a decline in the strength of the surface circulation. However, the summer months have seen a general rise in atmospheric pressure over the basin, with strengthening north- westerly winds in the eastern Mediterranean. Changes in the eastern and western basin are frequently out-of-phase because different processes tend to affect the climates of the two basins. These changes have been validated by analysis of the climate at land-based stations around the periphery of the Mediterranean. Combining the marine and terrestrial analyses shows possible links between climate in the eastern Mediterranean, changes in the intensity of the South Asian Monsoon (via reorientation of the summer-time trough over the Middle East), and climatic change over sub-Saharan Africa.