Characterization of the mean and extreme Mediterranean cyclones and their variability during the period 1500 BCE to 1850 CE

Although they have been extensively studied using global and regional climate models, their spatial and temporal variability in the Late Holocene is poorly understood. Here, we study a 3350-year climatological simulation that allows us to characterize Mediterranean cyclones better and provides a baseline for more accurately assessing the long-term effects of future climate change on Mediterranean cyclones.

To analyse Mediterranean cyclone characteristics, we use a seamless transient simulation from 1500 BCE to 1850 CE produced by the Community Earth System Model (CESM) with a 6-hourly temporal and 1.9°×2.5° horizontal resolutions. We found that Mediterranean cyclones exhibit pronounced multi-decadal variability in the order of 5 % throughout the entire Late Holocene with respect to several cyclone-related properties.