Summertime precipitation variability over Europe and its links to atmospheric dynamics and evaporation

Abstract

Gridded monthly precipitation data for 1979–2006 from the Global Precipitation Climatology Project are used to investigate interannual summer precipitation variability over Europe and its links to regional atmospheric circulation and evaporation. The first empirical orthogonal function (EOF) mode of European precipitation, explaining 17.2%–22.8% of its total variance, is stable during the summer season and is associated with the North Atlantic Oscillation. The spatial‐temporal structure of the second EOF mode is less stable and shows month‐to‐month variations during the summer season. This mode is linked to the Scandinavian teleconnection pattern. Analysis of links between leading EOF modes of regional precipitation and evaporation has revealed a significant link between precipitation and evaporation from the European land surface, thus, indicating an important role of the local processes in summertime precipitation variability over Europe. Weaker, but statistically significant links have been found for evaporation from the surface of the Mediterranean and Baltic Seas. Finally, in contrast to winter, no significant links have been revealed between European precipitation and evaporation in the North Atlantic during the summer season.