A composite approach to produce reference datasets for extratropical cyclone tracks: application to Mediterranean cyclones
dc.contributor.author | Flaounas, E | |
dc.contributor.author | Aragão, L | |
dc.contributor.author | Bernini, L | |
dc.contributor.author | Dafis, S | |
dc.contributor.author | Doiteau, B | |
dc.contributor.author | Flocas, H | |
dc.contributor.author | Gray, SL | |
dc.contributor.author | Karwat, A | |
dc.contributor.author | Kouroutzoglou, J | |
dc.contributor.author | Lionello, P | |
dc.contributor.author | Miglietta, MM | |
dc.contributor.author | Pantillon, F | |
dc.contributor.author | Pasquero, C | |
dc.contributor.author | Patlakas, P | |
dc.contributor.author | Picornell, MÁ | |
dc.contributor.author | Porcù, F | |
dc.contributor.author | Priestley, MDK | |
dc.contributor.author | Reale, M | |
dc.contributor.author | Roberts, MJ | |
dc.contributor.author | Saaroni, H | |
dc.contributor.author | Sandler, D | |
dc.contributor.author | Scoccimarro, E | |
dc.contributor.author | Sprenger, M | |
dc.contributor.author | Ziv, B | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2023-08-07T11:09:38Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2023-07-21 | |
dc.date.updated | 2023-08-07T09:47:40Z | |
dc.description.abstract | Many 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.sponsorship | Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) | en_GB |
dc.description.sponsorship | Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (H.F.R.I.) | en_GB |
dc.description.sponsorship | Région Occitanie and Météo-France | en_GB |
dc.description.sponsorship | MIUR – Dipartimenti di Eccellenza | en_GB |
dc.description.sponsorship | Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación – Agencia Estatal de Investigación | en_GB |
dc.description.sponsorship | OGS | en_GB |
dc.description.sponsorship | CINECA | en_GB |
dc.description.sponsorship | 2014–2020 Interreg V-A Italy-Croatia CBC Programme | en_GB |
dc.description.sponsorship | Met Office Hadley Centre Climate Programme | en_GB |
dc.format.extent | 639-661 | |
dc.identifier.citation | Vol. 4(3), pp. 639-661 | en_GB |
dc.identifier.doi | https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-4-639-2023 | |
dc.identifier.grantnumber | 7269 | en_GB |
dc.identifier.grantnumber | PID2020-113036RB-I00/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 | en_GB |
dc.identifier.grantnumber | 2015-07 | en_GB |
dc.identifier.grantnumber | 10046951 | en_GB |
dc.identifier.grantnumber | GA01101 | en_GB |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10871/133721 | |
dc.identifier | ORCID: 0000-0002-5488-3959 (Priestley, Matthew DK) | |
dc.language.iso | en | en_GB |
dc.publisher | Copernicus Publications | en_GB |
dc.rights | © Author(s) 2023. Open access. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. | en_GB |
dc.title | A composite approach to produce reference datasets for extratropical cyclone tracks: application to Mediterranean cyclones | en_GB |
dc.type | Article | en_GB |
dc.date.available | 2023-08-07T11:09:38Z | |
dc.identifier.issn | 2698-4016 | |
dc.description | This is the final version. Available on open access from Copernicus Publications via the DOI in this record | en_GB |
dc.description | Data 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.eissn | 2698-4016 | |
dc.identifier.journal | Weather and Climate Dynamics | en_GB |
dc.relation.ispartof | Weather and Climate Dynamics, 4(3) | |
dc.rights.uri | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ | en_GB |
dcterms.dateAccepted | 2023-06-09 | |
rioxxterms.version | VoR | en_GB |
rioxxterms.licenseref.startdate | 2023-07-21 | |
rioxxterms.type | Journal Article/Review | en_GB |
refterms.dateFCD | 2023-08-07T11:03:16Z | |
refterms.versionFCD | VoR | |
refterms.dateFOA | 2023-08-07T11:09:44Z | |
refterms.panel | B | en_GB |
refterms.dateFirstOnline | 2023-07-21 |
Files in this item
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
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.