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dc.contributor.authorFlaounas, E
dc.contributor.authorAragão, L
dc.contributor.authorBernini, L
dc.contributor.authorDafis, S
dc.contributor.authorDoiteau, B
dc.contributor.authorFlocas, H
dc.contributor.authorGray, SL
dc.contributor.authorKarwat, A
dc.contributor.authorKouroutzoglou, J
dc.contributor.authorLionello, P
dc.contributor.authorMiglietta, MM
dc.contributor.authorPantillon, F
dc.contributor.authorPasquero, C
dc.contributor.authorPatlakas, P
dc.contributor.authorPicornell, MÁ
dc.contributor.authorPorcù, F
dc.contributor.authorPriestley, MDK
dc.contributor.authorReale, M
dc.contributor.authorRoberts, MJ
dc.contributor.authorSaaroni, H
dc.contributor.authorSandler, D
dc.contributor.authorScoccimarro, E
dc.contributor.authorSprenger, M
dc.contributor.authorZiv, B
dc.date.accessioned2023-08-07T11:09:38Z
dc.date.issued2023-07-21
dc.date.updated2023-08-07T09:47:40Z
dc.description.abstractMany cyclone detection and tracking methods (CDTMs) have been developed in the past to study the climatology of extratropical cyclones. However, all CDTMs have different approaches in defining and tracking cyclone centers. This naturally leads to cyclone track climatologies with inconsistent physical characteristics. More than that, it is typical for CDTMs to produce a non-negligible number of tracks of weak atmospheric features, which do not correspond to large-scale or mesoscale vortices and can differ significantly between CDTMs. Lack of consensus in CDTM outputs and the inclusion of significant numbers of uncertain tracks therein have long prohibited the production of a commonly accepted reference dataset of extratropical cyclone tracks. Such a dataset could allow comparable results on the analysis of storm track climatologies and could also contribute to the evaluation and improvement of CDTMs. To cover this gap, we present a new methodological approach that combines overlapping tracks from different CDTMs and produces composite tracks that concentrate the agreement of more than one CDTM. In this study we apply this methodology to the outputs of 10 well-established CDTMs which were originally applied to ERA5 reanalysis in the 42-year period of 1979–2020. We tested the sensitivity of our results to the spatiotemporal criteria that identify overlapping cyclone tracks, and for benchmarking reasons, we produced five reference datasets of subjectively tracked cyclones. Results show that climatological numbers of composite tracks are substantially lower than the ones of individual CDTMs, while benchmarking scores remain high (i.e., counting the number of subjectively tracked cyclones captured by the composite tracks). Our results show that composite tracks tend to describe more intense and longer-lasting cyclones with more distinguished early, mature and decay stages than the cyclone tracks produced by individual CDTMs. Ranking the composite tracks according to their confidence level (defined by the number of contributing CDTMs), it is shown that the higher the confidence level, the more intense and long-lasting cyclones are produced. Given the advantage of our methodology in producing cyclone tracks with physically meaningful and distinctive life stages, we propose composite tracks as reference datasets for climatological research in the Mediterranean. The Supplement provides the composite Mediterranean tracks for all confidence levels, and in the conclusion we discuss their adequate use for scientific research and applications.en_GB
dc.description.sponsorshipStavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF)en_GB
dc.description.sponsorshipHellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (H.F.R.I.)en_GB
dc.description.sponsorshipRégion Occitanie and Météo-Franceen_GB
dc.description.sponsorshipMIUR – Dipartimenti di Eccellenzaen_GB
dc.description.sponsorshipMinisterio de Ciencia e Innovación – Agencia Estatal de Investigaciónen_GB
dc.description.sponsorshipOGSen_GB
dc.description.sponsorshipCINECAen_GB
dc.description.sponsorship2014–2020 Interreg V-A Italy-Croatia CBC Programmeen_GB
dc.description.sponsorshipMet Office Hadley Centre Climate Programmeen_GB
dc.format.extent639-661
dc.identifier.citationVol. 4(3), pp. 639-661en_GB
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-4-639-2023
dc.identifier.grantnumber7269en_GB
dc.identifier.grantnumberPID2020-113036RB-I00/AEI/10.13039/501100011033en_GB
dc.identifier.grantnumber2015-07en_GB
dc.identifier.grantnumber10046951en_GB
dc.identifier.grantnumberGA01101en_GB
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10871/133721
dc.identifierORCID: 0000-0002-5488-3959 (Priestley, Matthew DK)
dc.language.isoenen_GB
dc.publisherCopernicus Publicationsen_GB
dc.rights© Author(s) 2023. Open access. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.en_GB
dc.titleA composite approach to produce reference datasets for extratropical cyclone tracks: application to Mediterranean cyclonesen_GB
dc.typeArticleen_GB
dc.date.available2023-08-07T11:09:38Z
dc.identifier.issn2698-4016
dc.descriptionThis is the final version. Available on open access from Copernicus Publications via the DOI in this recorden_GB
dc.descriptionData availability: All composite cyclone tracks for different confidence levels are provided as a Supplement in the form of ASCII files. For each confidence level, we provide a separate file that includes a matrix of eight columns and a number of rows that varies among the datasets. Each row corresponds to a single track point, while the eight columns provide the following information: Column 1 provides a cumulatively increasing index that functions as an identifier of unique cyclone tracks. For instance, all information about the track of cyclone no. 456 is found in all rows starting with the number 456. Column 2 provides the longitude of track points. Column 3 provides the latitude of track points. It is important to note that geographical coordinates are produced using step 2 of our method and thus may not match the exact location of grid points of ERA5. Column 4 provides the year of occurrence. Column 5 provides the month of occurrence. Column 6 provides the day of occurrence. Column 7 provides the hour of occurrence in UTC. Column 8 provides the lowest MSLP value within a 2.5∘ radius from the geographical coordinates in columns 2 and 3. These values are only meant to function as an approximate reference of intensity. Indeed, geographical coordinates of composite track points in columns 2 and 3 are located in the average location of track points of individual CDTMs. Therefore, values in column 8 may not necessarily correspond to the deepest MSLP or the highest relative vorticity of the tracks.en_GB
dc.identifier.eissn2698-4016
dc.identifier.journalWeather and Climate Dynamicsen_GB
dc.relation.ispartofWeather and Climate Dynamics, 4(3)
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/en_GB
dcterms.dateAccepted2023-06-09
rioxxterms.versionVoRen_GB
rioxxterms.licenseref.startdate2023-07-21
rioxxterms.typeJournal Article/Reviewen_GB
refterms.dateFCD2023-08-07T11:03:16Z
refterms.versionFCDVoR
refterms.dateFOA2023-08-07T11:09:44Z
refterms.panelBen_GB
refterms.dateFirstOnline2023-07-21


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© Author(s) 2023. Open access. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Except where otherwise noted, this item's licence is described as © Author(s) 2023. Open access. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.