Impact of atmospheric circulation on air temperature in Warsaw during months with extreme values of the NAO index (1951–2015) Cover Image

Uwarunkowania cyrkulacyjne temperatury powietrza w Warszawie w miesiącach o skrajnych wartościach wskaźnika NAO (1951–2015)
Impact of atmospheric circulation on air temperature in Warsaw during months with extreme values of the NAO index (1951–2015)

Author(s): Robert Twardosz, Urszula Kossowska-Cezak
Subject(s): Physical Geopgraphy, Recent History (1900 till today)
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego
Keywords: Atmospheric circulation; NAO; air temperature; Warsaw;

Summary/Abstract: In winter, western air masses arriving in Europe, including Poland, change the weather for relatively warmer, while an eastern advection tends to bring freezing temperatures. While the NAO provides a quantitative measure of this western advection, its relationship with air temperature is not always clear-cut. For this reason, this study characterises the circulation and thermal conditions over Poland depending on the sign and the value of the NAO index (NAO+, NAO–). The study is based on NAO values and winter (December – March) monthly temperature records in Warsaw spanning 65 years (1951–2015), as well as on the calendar of circulation types proposed by Lityński. A detailed analysis was performed looking at the top 10 months with the highest NAO+ and NAO–, as well as the top 10 months with the greatest positive and negative deviations from the long-term average air temperature (Dt). This selection was based on a premise that the months should largely coincide. The results, however, show certain deviations from previously established patterns in the influence of the NAO+/NAO– on air temperature in Poland.

  • Issue Year: 2018
  • Issue No: 153
  • Page Range: 69-87
  • Page Count: 19
  • Language: Polish