Contributions to the moisture budget of airmasses over Iceland

Motivated by the excellent skills of a new Lagrangian diagnosis method to identify the contributions to the moisture budget over a region (Stohl and James, 2004, 2005), this study examines the main areas where there is net uptake of moisture in airmasses over Iceland. The method computes budgets of...

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Main Authors: Raquel Nieto, Luís Gimeno, David Gallego, Ricardo Trigo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Borntraeger 2007-02-01
Series:Meteorologische Zeitschrift
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1127/0941-2948/2007/0176
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author Raquel Nieto
Luís Gimeno
David Gallego
Ricardo Trigo
author_facet Raquel Nieto
Luís Gimeno
David Gallego
Ricardo Trigo
author_sort Raquel Nieto
collection DOAJ
description Motivated by the excellent skills of a new Lagrangian diagnosis method to identify the contributions to the moisture budget over a region (Stohl and James, 2004, 2005), this study examines the main areas where there is net uptake of moisture in airmasses over Iceland. The method computes budgets of evaporation minus precipitation by calculating changes in the specific humidity along back-trajectories for the previous 10 days. We tracked the origin of all air-masses, including precipitating airmasses, residing over Iceland during a period of five years (2000-2004). Air transported into the Icelandic waters has a large uptake of water over the Norwegian Sea in the preceding first three days and from the Western-North Atlantic in the range of 3-10 days. Concerning the days with observed precipitation in SW-Iceland, it was found that the major net uptake of moisture was the final northward segment of the Gulf Stream and the Atlantic waters immediately surrounding Iceland.
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spelling doaj.art-fe3aba4f34c34321b7d444dc9c6d7bc62024-02-02T14:47:39ZengBorntraegerMeteorologische Zeitschrift0941-29482007-02-01161374410.1127/0941-2948/2007/017655786Contributions to the moisture budget of airmasses over IcelandRaquel NietoLuís GimenoDavid GallegoRicardo TrigoMotivated by the excellent skills of a new Lagrangian diagnosis method to identify the contributions to the moisture budget over a region (Stohl and James, 2004, 2005), this study examines the main areas where there is net uptake of moisture in airmasses over Iceland. The method computes budgets of evaporation minus precipitation by calculating changes in the specific humidity along back-trajectories for the previous 10 days. We tracked the origin of all air-masses, including precipitating airmasses, residing over Iceland during a period of five years (2000-2004). Air transported into the Icelandic waters has a large uptake of water over the Norwegian Sea in the preceding first three days and from the Western-North Atlantic in the range of 3-10 days. Concerning the days with observed precipitation in SW-Iceland, it was found that the major net uptake of moisture was the final northward segment of the Gulf Stream and the Atlantic waters immediately surrounding Iceland.http://dx.doi.org/10.1127/0941-2948/2007/0176
spellingShingle Raquel Nieto
Luís Gimeno
David Gallego
Ricardo Trigo
Contributions to the moisture budget of airmasses over Iceland
Meteorologische Zeitschrift
title Contributions to the moisture budget of airmasses over Iceland
title_full Contributions to the moisture budget of airmasses over Iceland
title_fullStr Contributions to the moisture budget of airmasses over Iceland
title_full_unstemmed Contributions to the moisture budget of airmasses over Iceland
title_short Contributions to the moisture budget of airmasses over Iceland
title_sort contributions to the moisture budget of airmasses over iceland
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1127/0941-2948/2007/0176
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AT davidgallego contributionstothemoisturebudgetofairmassesovericeland
AT ricardotrigo contributionstothemoisturebudgetofairmassesovericeland