Intra-annual variation of atmospheric static stability in the Mediterranean region: a 60-year climatology

The seasonal characteristics of atmospheric static stability in the Mediterranean region are examined, for the 60-year period 1948-2007 and for the four 15-year sub-periods 1948-1962, 1963-1977, 1978-1992 and 1993-2007. S-Mode and T-Mode Factor Analysis are applied to the mean 5-day values of K static stability index over the Mediterranean region. Three dominant modes are revealed for both, the intra-annual variation and the spatial distribution of K-index. It is found that these modes are connected to the seasonal characteristics of the main atmospheric circulation systems affecting the region and the thermal properties of the Earth's surface (land or sea). The differences among the results of the four sub-periods partially reflect the inter-decadal variations of the strength of the above factors.