Articles | Volume 4, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-4-683-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-4-683-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
08 Aug 2023
Research article |
| 08 Aug 2023
| 08 Aug 2023
Transient anticyclonic eddies and their relationship to atmospheric block persistence
Charlie C. Suitters
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Meteorology, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom
Oscar Martínez-Alvarado
Department of Meteorology, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom
National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS), University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom
Kevin I. Hodges
Department of Meteorology, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom
National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS), University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom
Reinhard K. H. Schiemann
Department of Meteorology, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom
National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS), University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom
Duncan Ackerley
Met Office, Exeter, United Kingdom
Related authors
No articles found.
Prince Xavier, Martin Willett, Tim Graham, Paul Earnshaw, Dan Copsey, Nikesh Narayan, Charline Marzin, Alistair Sellar, Duncan Ackerley, Adam Blaker, Ed Blockley, Alejandro Bodas-Salcedo, Andrew Bushell, Nakbin Choi, Xin Rong Chua, Catherine Guiavarc'h, Muhammad Hassim, Julian Heming, Debra Hudson, Sarah Ineson, Anthony Jones, Colin Jones, Richard Keane, Kiwook Kim, Jiyeong Kim, Till Kuhlbrodt, Myong-In Lee, Richard Levine, Chen Li, Gill Martin, Alex Megann, Anne Mccabe, Aurel Moise, Leighton Regayre, Jeff Ridley, Luke Roberts, Sandeep Sahany, Reinhard K. H. Schiemann, David Storkey, Warren Tennant, Lorenzo Tomassini, Yoko Tsushima, Graham P. Weedon, Alex West, Matthew C. Wheeler, Keith Williams, Xiaobing Zhou, and Hongyan Zhu
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4281, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4281, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Geoscientific Model Development (GMD).
Short summary
Short summary
GC5 is the Met Office's newest climate and weather model, combining an updated atmosphere/land component with an improved ocean and sea-ice component. Compared to its predecessor GC4, it better simulates global temperatures, winds, monsoons over India and SE Asia, and African weather, and forecasts tropical cyclones more accurately. Southern Ocean errors shrank too. Some tropical patterns and regional biases worsened slightly. A lower-resolution version will underpin the UK's Earth System Model.
Dorothy Heinrich, Erin Coughlan de Perez, Leanne Archer, Nadia Bloemendaal, Kevin I. Hodges, Helen Hooker, Theodore G. Shepherd, Nathan Sparks, Ralf Toumi, and Elisabeth Stephens
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2758, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2758, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences (NHESS).
Short summary
Short summary
An unprecedented tropical cyclone (TC) can turn into a disaster if it is unforeseen. In this work, we explore different TC datasets to identify simulated events that could be unprecedented. We look at whether these scenarios could be considered be plausible and how different these would be from past records, and illustrate with examples. We highlight that there is a wealth of scenarios that could be used by disaster managers to imagine and prepare for unprecedented events.
Andrea Rivosecchi, Andrea Dittus, Ed Hawkins, Reinhard Schiemann, and Erich Fischer
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1733, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1733, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
We analysed 250-year global temperature trends under zero CO2 emissions in the UK Earth System Model. Stopping emissions while global temperatures remain below +2 °C limits the post-net-zero mean surface warming. Annual hot extremes cool regionally after zero emissions in the midlatitudes, due to the expansion of evergreen vegetation. However, in this framework vegetation change is largely unconstrained by modern land-use changes, highlighting a potential limitation of idealised model protocols.
Paula L. M. Gonzalez, Duncan Ackerley, Eloise Matthews, Dan Suri, Emily Wallace, Matthew Wheeler, Jason A. Lowe, and Daisy Harley-Nyang
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2026-181, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2026-181, 2026
Preprint under review for ESSD
Short summary
Short summary
The Named Storms Catalogue is the first dataset to systematically evaluate ten years of UK storm naming using carefully designed metrics developed with Met Office meteorologists. It reveals how storms evolved and the hazards they created, enabling unprecedented comparison, ranking, and insight. The work introduces the dataset, showcases three case studies, and explores current and future uses with a view to helping experts and responders better understand and manage storm impacts.
Farrell Morgan, Ben Harvey, Kevin Hodges, and Oscar Martínez-Alvarado
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-289, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-289, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
The socio-economic risk represented by mid-latitude cyclones in Europe is changing in a warming climate, but these changes are not uniform across all cyclones. Here we investigate climate change effects on contrasting historical cyclones that impacted the UK. We show that the changes in likelihood, intensity and causes do depend on each cyclone’s characteristics. This highlights that accounting for cyclone-specific responses is critical for assessing impacts and developing adaptation strategies.
Rafaela Jane Delfino, Gerry Bagtasa, Pier Luigi Vidale, and Kevin Hodges
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-4443, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-4443, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate changes in tropical cyclone (TC) precipitation in the Philippines using high-resolution pseudo-global warming simulations. Analysis of Haiyan, Bopha, and Mangkhut shows robust increases in rainfall under future warming, with nonlinear deviations from Clausius–Clapeyron scaling driven by TC intensity and structural changes, underscoring evolving rainfall hazards in a warming climate.
Isabel H. Smith, Paul D. Williams, and Reinhard Schiemann
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2378, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2378, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Mountain wave turbulence (MWT) has a dangerous and costly impact on the aviation sector. There's a lack of research into future projected MWT with global warming. Overall, MWT trends are seasonally and location dependent. Over several mountain ranges an increase arose particularly over Greenland and regions in Asia. A drop in MWT also developed over the Alps, the Rockys, Atlas and northern and central Andes. Southern Andes and the Himalayas had seasonal differences resulting in a mix of trends.
Lorenzo Sangelantoni, Stefano Tibaldi, Leone Cavicchia, Enrico Scoccimarro, Pier Luigi Vidale, Kevin Hodges, Vivien Mavel, Mattia Almansi, Chiara Cagnazzo, and Samuel Almond
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-4157, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-4157, 2025
Preprint archived
Short summary
Short summary
We introduce a new dataset of European windstorms linked to extratropical cyclones, spanning whole ERA5 reanalysis period (1940–present). Developed under Copernicus Climate Change Service, the dataset provides standardized, high-quality information on windstorm tracks and footprints for industries like insurance and risk management. Preliminary findings show an increase in cold-season windstorms and their impacts in parts of Europe. Tracking methods contribute to uncertainties in key statistics.
Alex T. Archibald, Bablu Sinha, Maria R. Russo, Emily Matthews, Freya A. Squires, N. Luke Abraham, Stephane J.-B. Bauguitte, Thomas J. Bannan, Thomas G. Bell, David Berry, Lucy J. Carpenter, Hugh Coe, Andrew Coward, Peter Edwards, Daniel Feltham, Dwayne Heard, Jim Hopkins, James Keeble, Elizabeth C. Kent, Brian A. King, Isobel R. Lawrence, James Lee, Claire R. Macintosh, Alex Megann, Bengamin I. Moat, Katie Read, Chris Reed, Malcolm J. Roberts, Reinhard Schiemann, David Schroeder, Timothy J. Smyth, Loren Temple, Navaneeth Thamban, Lisa Whalley, Simon Williams, Huihui Wu, and Mingxi Yang
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 17, 135–164, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-135-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-135-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Here, we present an overview of the data generated as part of the North Atlantic Climate System Integrated Study (ACSIS) programme that are available through dedicated repositories at the Centre for Environmental Data Analysis (CEDA; www.ceda.ac.uk) and the British Oceanographic Data Centre (BODC; bodc.ac.uk). The datasets described here cover the North Atlantic Ocean, the atmosphere above (it including its composition), and Arctic sea ice.
Suzanne L. Gray, Ambrogio Volonté, Oscar Martínez-Alvarado, and Ben J. Harvey
Weather Clim. Dynam., 5, 1523–1544, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-5-1523-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-5-1523-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Sting jets occur in some of the most damaging cyclones impacting Europe. We present the first climatology of sting-jet cyclones over the major ocean basins. Cyclones with sting-jet precursors occur over the North Atlantic, North Pacific, and Southern Oceans, with implications for wind warnings. Precursor cyclones have distinct characteristics, even in reanalyses that are too coarse to fully resolve sting jets, evidencing the climatological consequences of strong diabatic cloud processes.
Karina von Schuckmann, Lorena Moreira, Mathilde Cancet, Flora Gues, Emmanuelle Autret, Jonathan Baker, Clément Bricaud, Romain Bourdalle-Badie, Lluis Castrillo, Lijing Cheng, Frederic Chevallier, Daniele Ciani, Alvaro de Pascual-Collar, Vincenzo De Toma, Marie Drevillon, Claudia Fanelli, Gilles Garric, Marion Gehlen, Rianne Giesen, Kevin Hodges, Doroteaciro Iovino, Simon Jandt-Scheelke, Eric Jansen, Melanie Juza, Ioanna Karagali, Thomas Lavergne, Simona Masina, Ronan McAdam, Audrey Minière, Helen Morrison, Tabea Rebekka Panteleit, Andrea Pisano, Marie-Isabelle Pujol, Ad Stoffelen, Sulian Thual, Simon Van Gennip, Pierre Veillard, Chunxue Yang, and Hao Zuo
State Planet, 4-osr8, 1, https://doi.org/10.5194/sp-4-osr8-1-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/sp-4-osr8-1-2024, 2024
Karina von Schuckmann, Lorena Moreira, Mathilde Cancet, Flora Gues, Emmanuelle Autret, Ali Aydogdu, Lluis Castrillo, Daniele Ciani, Andrea Cipollone, Emanuela Clementi, Gianpiero Cossarini, Alvaro de Pascual-Collar, Vincenzo De Toma, Marion Gehlen, Rianne Giesen, Marie Drevillon, Claudia Fanelli, Kevin Hodges, Simon Jandt-Scheelke, Eric Jansen, Melanie Juza, Ioanna Karagali, Priidik Lagemaa, Vidar Lien, Leonardo Lima, Vladyslav Lyubartsev, Ilja Maljutenko, Simona Masina, Ronan McAdam, Pietro Miraglio, Helen Morrison, Tabea Rebekka Panteleit, Andrea Pisano, Marie-Isabelle Pujol, Urmas Raudsepp, Roshin Raj, Ad Stoffelen, Simon Van Gennip, Pierre Veillard, and Chunxue Yang
State Planet, 4-osr8, 2, https://doi.org/10.5194/sp-4-osr8-2-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/sp-4-osr8-2-2024, 2024
Henri Rossi Pinheiro, Kevin Ivan Hodges, and Manoel Alonso Gan
Weather Clim. Dynam., 5, 881–894, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-5-881-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-5-881-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Cut-off lows (COLs) are weather systems with varied structures and lifecycles, from upper atmospheric to deep vortices. Deep, strong COLs are common around Australia and the southwestern Pacific in autumn and spring, while shallow, weak COLs occur more in summer near the Equator. Jet streams play a crucial role in COL development, with different jets influencing its depth and strength. The study also emphasizes the need for better representation of diabatic processes in reanalysis data.
Alexander Frank Vessey, Kevin I. Hodges, Len C. Shaffrey, and Jonathan J. Day
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 2115–2132, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-2115-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-2115-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The risk posed to ships by Arctic cyclones has seldom been quantified due to the lack of publicly available historical Arctic ship track data. This study investigates historical Arctic ship tracks, cyclone tracks, and shipping incident reports to determine the number of shipping incidents caused by the passage of Arctic cyclones. Results suggest that Arctic cyclones have not been hazardous to ships and that ships are resilient to the rough sea conditions caused by Arctic cyclones.
Ed Hawkins, Philip Brohan, Samantha N. Burgess, Stephen Burt, Gilbert P. Compo, Suzanne L. Gray, Ivan D. Haigh, Hans Hersbach, Kiki Kuijjer, Oscar Martínez-Alvarado, Chesley McColl, Andrew P. Schurer, Laura Slivinski, and Joanne Williams
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 1465–1482, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-23-1465-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-23-1465-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We examine a severe windstorm that occurred in February 1903 and caused significant damage in the UK and Ireland. Using newly digitized weather observations from the time of the storm, combined with a modern weather forecast model, allows us to determine why this storm caused so much damage. We demonstrate that the event is one of the most severe windstorms to affect this region since detailed records began. The approach establishes a new tool to improve assessments of risk from extreme weather.
Elliott Michael Sainsbury, Reinhard K. H. Schiemann, Kevin I. Hodges, Alexander J. Baker, Len C. Shaffrey, Kieran T. Bhatia, and Stella Bourdin
Weather Clim. Dynam., 3, 1359–1379, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-3-1359-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-3-1359-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Post-tropical cyclones (PTCs) can bring severe weather to Europe. By tracking and identifying PTCs in five global climate models, we investigate how the frequency and intensity of PTCs may change across Europe by 2100. We find no robust change in the frequency or intensity of Europe-impacting PTCs in the future. This study indicates that large uncertainties surround future Europe-impacting PTCs and provides a framework for evaluating PTCs in future generations of climate models.
Rafaela Jane Delfino, Gerry Bagtasa, Kevin Hodges, and Pier Luigi Vidale
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 3285–3307, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-3285-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-3285-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We showed the effects of altering the choice of cumulus schemes, surface flux options, and spectral nudging with a high level of sensitivity to cumulus schemes in simulating an intense typhoon. We highlight the advantage of using an ensemble of cumulus parameterizations to take into account the uncertainty in simulating typhoons such as Haiyan in 2013. This study is useful in addressing the growing need to plan and prepare for as well as reduce the impacts of intense typhoons in the Philippines.
Alexander F. Vessey, Kevin I. Hodges, Len C. Shaffrey, and Jonathan J. Day
Weather Clim. Dynam., 3, 1097–1112, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-3-1097-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-3-1097-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding the location and intensity of hazardous weather across the Arctic is important for assessing risks to infrastructure, shipping, and coastal communities. This study describes the typical lifetime and structure of intense winter and summer Arctic cyclones. Results show the composite development and structure of intense summer Arctic cyclones are different from intense winter Arctic and North Atlantic Ocean extra-tropical cyclones and from conceptual models.
Ambrogio Volonté, Andrew G. Turner, Reinhard Schiemann, Pier Luigi Vidale, and Nicholas P. Klingaman
Weather Clim. Dynam., 3, 575–599, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-3-575-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-3-575-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
In this study we analyse the complex seasonal evolution of the East Asian summer monsoon. Using reanalysis data, we show the importance of the interaction between tropical and extratropical air masses converging at the monsoon front, particularly during its northward progression. The upper-level flow pattern (e.g. the westerly jet) controls the balance between the airstreams and thus the associated rainfall. This framework provides a basis for studies of extreme events and climate variability.
Suzanne L. Gray, Kevin I. Hodges, Jonathan L. Vautrey, and John Methven
Weather Clim. Dynam., 2, 1303–1324, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-2-1303-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-2-1303-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This research demonstrates, using feature identification and tracking, that anticlockwise rotating vortices at about 7 km altitude called tropopause polar vortices frequently interact with storms developing in the Arctic region, affecting their structure and where they occur. This interaction has implications for the predictability of Arctic weather, given the long lifetime but a relatively small spatial scale of these vortices compared with the density of the polar observation network.
Mark R. Muetzelfeldt, Reinhard Schiemann, Andrew G. Turner, Nicholas P. Klingaman, Pier Luigi Vidale, and Malcolm J. Roberts
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 6381–6405, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-6381-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-6381-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Simulating East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM) rainfall poses many challenges because of its multi-scale nature. We evaluate three setups of a 14 km global climate model against observations to see if they improve simulated rainfall. We do this over catchment basins of different sizes to estimate how model performance depends on spatial scale. Using explicit convection improves rainfall diurnal cycle, yet more model tuning is needed to improve mean and intensity biases in simulated summer rainfall.
Cited articles
Altenhoff, A. M., Martius, O., Croci-Maspoli, M., Schwierz, C., and Davies,
H. C.: Linkage of atmospheric blocks and synoptic-scale Rossby waves: A
climatological analysis, Tellus A, 60, 1053–1063, 2008. a
Catto, J. L., Shaffrey, L. C., and Hodges, K. I.: Northern Hemisphere
extratropical cyclones in a warming climate in the HiGEM high-resolution
climate model, J. Climate, 24, 5336–5352, 2011. a
Charney, J., Shukla, J., and Mo, K.: Comparison of a barotropic blocking theory with observation, J. Atmos. Sci., 38, 762–779, 1981. a
Chen, L., Tan, B., Kvamstø, N. G., and Johannessen, O. M.: Wintertime
cyclone/anticyclone activity over China and its relation to upper tropospheric jets, Tellus A, 66, 21889, https://doi.org/10.3402/tellusa.v66.21889, 2014. a
Colucci, S. J.: Explosive cyclogenesis and large-scale circulation changes:
Implications for atmospheric blocking, J. Atmos. Sci., 42, 2701–2717, 1985. a
Detring, C., Müller, A., Schielicke, L., Névir, P., and Rust, H. W.: Occurrence and transition probabilities of omega and high-over-low blocking in the Euro-Atlantic region, Weather Clim. Dynam., 2, 927–952, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-2-927-2021, 2021. a
Diao, Y., Li, J., and Luo, D.: A new blocking index and its application:
Blocking action in the Northern Hemisphere, J. Climate, 19, 4819–4839, 2006. a
Dole, R. M. and Gordon, N. D.: Persistent anomalies of the extratropical
Northern Hemisphere wintertime circulation: Geographical distribution and
regional persistence characteristics, Mon. Weather Rev., 111, 1567–1586, 1983. a
Drouard, M., Woollings, T., Sexton, D. M., and McSweeney, C. F.: Dynamical
differences between short and long blocks in the Northern Hemisphere, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 126, e2020JD034082, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JD034082, 2021. a
Grams, C. M., Beerli, R., Pfenninger, S., Staffell, I., and Wernli, H.:
Balancing Europe's wind-power output through spatial deployment informed by
weather regimes, Nat. Clim. Change, 7, 557–562, 2017. a
Hersbach, H., Bell, B., Berrisford, P., Hirahara, S., Horányi, A., Muñoz-Sabater, J., Nicolas, J., Peubey, C., Radu, R., Schepers, D., Simmons, A., Soci, C., Abdalla, S., Abellan, X., Balsamo, G., Bechtold, P., Biavati, G., Bidlot, J., Bonavita, M., De Chiara, G., Dahlgren, P., Dee, D., Diamantakis, M., Dragani, R., Flemming, J., Forbes, R., Fuentes, M., Geer, A., Haimberger, L., Healy, S., Hogan, R. J., Hólm, E., Janisková, M., Keeley, S., Laloyaux, P., Lopez, P., Lupu, C., Radnoti, G., de Rosnay, P., Rozum, I., Vamborg, F., Villaume, S., Thépaut, J.-N.: Complete ERA5 from 1940: Fifth generation of ECMWF atmospheric reanalyses of the global climate, Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) Data Store (CDS) [data set], https://doi.org/10.24381/cds.143582cf, 2017. a
Hersbach, H., Bell, B., Berrisford, P., Hirahara, S., Horányi, A., Muñoz-Sabater, J., Nicolas, J., Peubey, C., Radu, R., Schepers, D., Simmons, A., Soci, C., Abdalla, S., Xavier, A., Balsamo, G., Bechtold, P., Biavati, G., Bidlot, J., Bonavita, M., De Chiara, G., Dahlgren, P., Dee, D., Diamantakis, M., Dragani, R., Flemming, J., Forbes, R., Fuentes, M., Geer, A., Haimberger, L., Healy, S., Hogan, R. J., Hólm, E., Janisková, M., Keeley, S., Laloyaux, P., Lopez, P., Lupu, C., Radnoti, G., de Rosnay, P., Rozum, I., Vamborg, F., Villaume, S., and Thépaut, J.-N.: The ERA5 global reanalysis, Q. J. Roy. Meteorol. Soc., 146, 1999–2049, 2020. a
Hodges, K.: Feature tracking on the unit sphere, Mon. Weather Rev., 123,
3458–3465, 1995. a
Hodges, K. I.: TRACK tracking and analysis system for weather, climate and ocean data, Gitlab [code], https://gitlab.act.reading.ac.uk/track/track (last access: 25 July 2023), 2021. a
Hodges, K. I., Lee, R. W., and Bengtsson, L.: A comparison of extratropical
cyclones in recent reanalyses ERA-Interim, NASA MERRA, NCEP CFSR, and JRA-25,
J. Climate, 24, 4888–4906, 2011. a
Hoskins, B. and Hodges, K.: The annual cycle of Northern Hemisphere storm
tracks. Part I: Seasons, J. Climate, 32, 1743–1760, 2019. a
Hoskins, B. J., McIntyre, M. E., and Robertson, A. W.: On the use and
significance of isentropic potential vorticity maps, Q. J. Roy. Meteorol. Soc., 111, 877–946, 1985. a
Ioannidou, L. and Yau, M.: A climatology of the Northern Hemisphere winter
anticyclones, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 113, D08119, https://doi.org/10.1029/2007JD008409, 2008. a
Kautz, L.-A., Martius, O., Pfahl, S., Pinto, J. G., Ramos, A. M., Sousa, P. M., and Woollings, T.: Atmospheric blocking and weather extremes over the Euro-Atlantic sector – a review, Weather Clim. Dynam., 3, 305–336, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-3-305-2022, 2022. a
Legras, B. and Ghil, M.: Persistent anomalies, blocking and variations in
atmospheric predictability, J. Atmos. Sci., 42, 433–471, 1985. a
Lejenäs, H. and Økland, H.: Characteristics of Northern Hemisphere
blocking as determined from a long time series of observational data, Tellus A, 35, 350–362, 1983. a
Lenggenhager, S. and Martius, O.: Quantifying the link between heavy
precipitation and Northern Hemisphere blocking – A Lagrangian analysis,
Atmos. Sci. Lett., 21, e999, https://doi.org/10.1002/asl.999, 2020. a
Luo, D., Cha, J., Zhong, L., and Dai, A.: A nonlinear multiscale interaction
model for atmospheric blocking: The eddy-blocking matching mechanism, Q. J. Roy. Meteorol. Soc., 140, 1785–1808, 2014. a
Luo, D., Zhang, W., Zhong, L., and Dai, A.: A nonlinear theory of atmospheric
blocking: A potential vorticity gradient view, J. Atmos. Sci., 76, 2399–2427, 2019. a
Lupo, A. R.: Atmospheric blocking events: a review, Ann. NY Acad. Sci., 1504, 5–24, 2021. a
Miller, D. E. and Wang, Z.: Northern Hemisphere winter blocking: differing onset mechanisms across regions, J. Atmos. Sci., 79, 1291–1309, https://doi.org/10.1175/JAS-D-21-0104.1, 2022. a, b
Nakamura, N. and Huang, C. S.: Atmospheric blocking as a traffic jam in the jet stream, Science, 361, 42–47, 2018. a
Okajima, S., Nakamura, H., and Kaspi, Y.: Cyclonic and anticyclonic
contributions to atmospheric energetics, Sci. Rep., 11, 1–10, 2021. a
Pepler, A., Dowdy, A., and Hope, P.: A global climatology of surface
anticyclones, their variability, associated drivers and long-term trends,
Clim. Dynam., 52, 5397–5412, 2019. a
Priestley, M. D., Ackerley, D., Catto, J. L., Hodges, K. I., McDonald, R. E.,
and Lee, R. W.: An overview of the extratropical storm tracks in CMIP6 historical simulations, J. Climate, 33, 6315–6343, 2020. a
Sainsbury, E. M., Schiemann, R. K., Hodges, K. I., Shaffrey, L. C., Baker,
A. J., and Bhatia, K. T.: How important are post-tropical cyclones for
European windstorm risk?, Geophys. Res. Lett., 47, e2020GL089853,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL089853, 2020. a
Scherrer, S. C., Croci-Maspoli, M., Schwierz, C., and Appenzeller, C.:
Two-dimensional indices of atmospheric blocking and their statistical
relationship with winter climate patterns in the Euro-Atlantic region, Int. J. Climatol., 26, 233–249, 2006. a
Schiemann, R., Demory, M.-E., Shaffrey, L. C., Strachan, J., Vidale, P. L.,
Mizielinski, M. S., Roberts, M. J., Matsueda, M., Wehner, M. F., and Jung,
T.: The resolution sensitivity of Northern Hemisphere blocking in four 25-km
atmospheric global circulation models, J. Climate, 30, 337–358, 2017. a, b
Schiemann, R., Athanasiadis, P., Barriopedro, D., Doblas-Reyes, F., Lohmann, K., Roberts, M. J., Sein, D. V., Roberts, C. D., Terray, L., and Vidale, P. L.: Northern Hemisphere blocking simulation in current climate models: evaluating progress from the Climate Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 to 6 and sensitivity to resolution, Weather Clim. Dynam., 1, 277–292, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-1-277-2020, 2020. a, b
Schwierz, C., Croci-Maspoli, M., and Davies, H.: Perspicacious indicators of
atmospheric blocking, Geophys. Res. Lett., 31, L06125, https://doi.org/10.1029/2003GL019341, 2004. a
Shi, N. and Nakamura, H.: A new detection scheme of wave-breaking events with
blocking flow configurations, J. Climate, 34, 1467–1483, 2021. a
Shukla, J. and Mo, K.: Seasonal and geographical variation of blocking, Mon. Weather Rev., 111, 388–402, 1983. a
Sousa, P. M., Barriopedro, D., García-Herrera, R., Woollings, T., and
Trigo, R. M.: A new combined detection algorithm for blocking and subtropical
ridges, J. Climate, 34, 7735–7758, 2021. a
Thomas, C., Voulgarakis, A., Lim, G., Haigh, J., and Nowack, P.: An unsupervised learning approach to identifying blocking events: the case of European summer, Weather Clim. Dynam., 2, 581–608, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-2-581-2021, 2021. a
Tibaldi, S. and Molteni, F.: On the operational predictability of blocking,
Tellus A, 42, 343–365, 1990. a
Vautard, R.: Multiple weather regimes over the North Atlantic: Analysis of
precursors and successors, Mon. Weather Rev., 118, 2056–2081, 1990. a
Wiedenmann, J. M., Lupo, A. R., Mokhov, I. I., and Tikhonova, E. A.: The
climatology of blocking anticyclones for the Northern and Southern Hemispheres: Block intensity as a diagnostic, J. Climate, 15, 3459–3473, 2002. a
Yamazaki, A. and Itoh, H.: Selective absorption mechanism for the maintenance
of blocking, Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L05803, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008GL036770, 2009. a
Zschenderlein, P., Pfahl, S., Wernli, H., and Fink, A. H.: A Lagrangian analysis of upper-tropospheric anticyclones associated with heat waves in Europe, Weather Clim. Dynam., 1, 191–206, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-1-191-2020, 2020. a
Short summary
Atmospheric blocking describes large and persistent high surface pressure. In this study, the relationship between block persistence and smaller-scale systems is examined. Persistent blocks result from more interactions with small systems, but a block's persistence does not depend as strongly on the strength of these smaller features. This work is important because it provides more knowledge as to how blocks can be allowed to persist, which is something we still do not fully understand.
Atmospheric blocking describes large and persistent high surface pressure. In this study, the...
