Recent near-surface wind changes in the central Mediterranean and Adriatic areas

Trends of change in wind direction and velocity during the second part of the last century are examined at 17 coastal Italian stations along a north-south transect over 1000 km long in the central Mediterranean area. Linear regressions and confidence ranges are provided for the frequency and for annual maximum and mean velocities. It appears that wind activity has been mostly decreasing from 1951 to about the mid-1970s, and increasing after that time. Deviation from the general trend at certain stations is interpreted as possibly depending on local or regional phenomena. The general trends obtained show a positive correlation with temperature changes, whereas they do not correlate with North Atlantic oscillation index variability. Copyright (C) 2003 Royal Meteorological Society.