Circulation Types Research Articles

Bioclimatic features of Toruń according to the tourism climate index

The paper characterises the annual pattern and the long-term variability of the Tourism Climate Index (TCI) in Toruń in the years 1966–2020. In the annual variation, conditions for tourism and recreation were best from May to August. For the summer period (from June to August), the climatic conditions according to TCI were excellent, while for May they were assessed as very good. Meanwhile, the least favourable conditions for recreational and tourist activity occur in the winter months of January and December. In Toruń, there was a statistically significant increase of 0.9 pt/10yr in the annual average TCI value. An improvement in climatic conditions for humans was demonstrated for all seasons but was greatest in spring and autumn (respectively 1.6 and 1.0 TCI pt/10yr). Atmospheric circulation was also found to affect TCI. This was determined using a calendar of circulation types over central Poland, based on which indices of zonal, meridional and cyclonic circulation were used. The study has shown that anticyclonic circulation has the greatest impact on improving conditions for tourism.

Atmospheric circulation types controlling rainfall in the Central American Isthmus

AbstractRainfall mechanisms in the Central American Isthmus are controlled by complex physical interactions across spatial and temporal scales, which are reflected on the dynamics of atmospheric circulation patterns affecting the region. However, physical mechanisms and their relationships with thermodynamic distributions connected to overturning circulations remain elusive. Here, a set of six recurrent daily atmospheric patterns, or weather types (WT), is defined using a k‐means++ clustering algorithm on standardized fields of Convective Available Potential Energy (CAPE) and winds at 925, 850, and 200 hPa. The relationships between these weather types, their temporal characteristics, and anomalous distributions of moisture flux divergence, equivalent potential temperature (saturated and unsaturated), and observed rainfall are used to describe physical processes controlling the latter, for all seasons. Regional observed rainfall is analysed from a set of 174 automatic stations from all countries from Mexico to Panama. By modulating vertically integrated moisture fluxes, these weather types, and the different climate drivers linked to them, control the temporal and spatial rainfall characteristics in the region, especially over the Pacific side of the isthmus. During some stages of the regional rainy season, described by two weather types, thermal anomalies in convective quasi‐equilibrium characteristic of the upward branch of the Hadley cell force westerly flow over Central America, enhancing rainfall. While during other stages, the enhancement of the trades and the displacement of convection to the ITCZ area over the eastern tropical Pacific, characteristic of the midsummer drought, diminishes rainfall. This study sets the stage for a better understanding of the mechanistic relationship between these weather types and rainfall characteristics in general, like onset, demise, and duration of rainy seasons. Hence, these results can inform process‐based model diagnostics aiming at bias‐correcting climate predictions at multiple timescales.

Characterization of Choroidal Morphology and Vasculature in the Phenotype of Pachychoroid Diseases by Swept-Source OCT and OCTA.

The objective of this study was to characterize the choroidal morphology and vasculature in pachychoroid diseases (PCD). A total of 49 eyes with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV), 43 eyes with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD), and 50 eyes with central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC), along with 80 healthy eyes, were enrolled in this nested case-control study. The swept-source optical coherent tomography (OCT), OCT angiography, and En face images were quantitatively analyzed. Multivariate logistic regression models showed that older age and increased vessel density (VD) in the choriocapillaris (CC) layer were independent risk factors for both PCV (page < 0.001, pVD = 0.004), and nAMD (page < 0.001, pVD = 0.005). Decreased VD in the Sattler’s layer was an independent risk factor for PCV (p = 0.014). Increased VD in the Haller’s layer was an independent risk factor for CSC (p = 0.001). The proportion of the diffuse type of collateral circulation in the Sattler’ layer in CSC group was significantly higher than in the other three groups (p < 0.001). We concluded that the involvement of the blood flow in the CC, Haller’s, and Sattler’s layers are differently affected in CSC, nAMD, and PCV eyes, indicating the different pathological mechanism underlying the phenotype of PCD. The age-dependent establishment of collateral circulation in the Sattler’s layer may play a compensatory role regarding ischemic injury in the development of PCD.

The continental and regional synoptic background favorable for hailstorms occurrence in North-Eastern Romania

The current study aims to portray the specific weather patterns associated with hail falls in north-eastern Romania. This was done using multiple hail records data covering a long period of time (1981–2020). COST733 software enabled us to assess objectively the atmospheric circulation classification types for the middle troposphere (500 hPa) and also for the ground level (sea level pressure) over the study region. Based on these, we have identified 5 major weather patterns (MPs) which explain up to 85% of the recorded hail events over the region. In terms of wind vector direction and speed, driving the hailstorm cells, these MPs are represented by two main groups of synoptic patterns. The first one is characterized by weak advective patterns (cut-off lows, north-easterly anticyclonic flow), while the second one is characterized by strong advective patterns (westerly, south-westerly, and north-westerly atmospheric flows). Further, these major patterns are split into 16 combined circulation types (CCTs), as indicated by the atmospheric circulation at the ground level. Our analysis showed that in May and June hailstorms are determined especially by weak advective patterns over north-eastern Romania, while from June to August the strong advective patterns are more common for these extreme weather events. The atmospheric environment associated with these synoptic conditions, as indicated by instability parameters, is also described using a series of atmospheric parameters: sea pressure level, 500 hPa geopotential field, 700 hPa wind vector, and precipitation amount at the continental scale. This analysis indicates that hail occurs in a regional atmospheric environment characterized by a MUCAPE &gt;500 J/kg and high wind shear in the lower troposphere. The results obtained are meant to become a useful tool in regional hail forecast.

Prevalence and Predictors of Suicidal Ideation in Patients Following Cardiac Surgery.

Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) which demand special attention and immediate help are referred to as PROs alert. Suicidal ideation (SI) is one of the PROs alerts which are insufficiently investigated. The aim was to assess the prevalence and risk factors for SI in patients following cardiac surgery. A total of 190 patients (mean age: 66.09, SD = 10.19; 57 women) were assessed at three months following cardiac surgery. SI was identified using the Patient Health Qustionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) question. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Modified was used to assess anxiety, depression, and irritability. Additionally, self-perceived health improvement and level of hope were assessed using the Likert scale. Dyspnea and chest pain were assessed using a visual analogue scale. SI was observed in 14.7% of participants. Patients experiencing SI had significantly higher levels of depression, anxiety, irritability, dyspnea and chest pain. They perceived the surgery to be less effective and had lower levels of hope. No significant relationships were found regarding age, sex, employment status, myocardial infarction, heart failure, operation mode, type of procedure, extracorporal circulation, hospital stay and postsurgical complications. Logistic regression revealed female sex (B = 2.363), higher anxiety level (B = 0.451) and older age (B = 0.062) to be risk factors for SI. The total variance explained by the model was 46%. Assessing suicidality and negative emotions with special emphasis on anxiety simultaneously with somatic complaints is vital to address PROs alerts and improve care for patients following cardiac surgery. In-depth evaluation and psychological care are recommended in case of positive screening.

Changes in Precipitation Conditions in the Warm Half-Year in the Polish–Saxon Border Region in Relation to the Atmospheric Circulation

Precipitations are one of the most important factors affecting water resources in the transboundary Polish–Saxon region. The main goal of the research was to examine the multiannual changes in precipitations in the April–September period in 1971–2018, depending on circulation conditions, based on Ojrzyńska’s classification. The analysis was carried out based on meteorological data from Polish and German meteorological stations. The results showed that most of precipitation totals and intensive precipitations were observed under SW-A and SW-C circulation, whereas the anticyclonic types of NE-A, NW-A and SW-A were mainly responsible for dry days occurrence. In terms of multiannual changes, most of the stations were characterized by insignificant trends for the considered indices. Some positive trends were observed for intensive precipitations in the lower hypsometric zones. In the mountains, a decreasing tendency dominated for both precipitation totals and intensive precipitations, especially for the northern types of circulation. Furthermore, a significant increase was reported throughout the region for most of the indices for the SW-A type, including precipitation totals, strong precipitations and dry days. Considering the observed trends, floods related to heavy rains can intensify in the lowlands, while a potential increase in the anticyclonic circulation can significantly limit water resources in the region.

Perencanaan Ruang Publik Berbasis Data Biofisik di Hulu Tukad Badung, Desa Sempidi, Kabupaten Badung

Public space planning based on biophysic data of upper Tukad Badung, Sempidi Village, Badung District. The Upper Tukad Badung area has the potential for natural sceneries, ecological values and religious socio-culture areas to be developed as a comfortable and safe public zone. The purpose of this research is to identify, analyze the biophysical and social aspects and allocate space for public activities in accordance with the conditions of the Upper Tukad Badung area. The research method used was a survey method using data collection techniques through observation, site documentation, interviews, questionnaires, and literature study. The landscape planning stages included inventory, analysis, synthesis, and landscape planning. The results of spatial synthesis of topographic and vegetation data with descriptive analysis of other data resulted active and passive public zones. The zones were connected with primary and secondary circulation types in a linear pattern. The vegetation plan had three functions;aesthetic conservation, cultivation, and vegetation.

Impact of Meteorological Conditions and Human Activities on Air Quality During the COVID-19 Lockdown in Northeast China

During the lockdown implemented to curb the spread of COVID-19, human activities have drastically reduced, providing a valuable opportunity to study and compare the impact of meteorological conditions and human activities on air quality. In this study, large-scale weather circulation, local meteorological conditions, and the impact of human activities are comprehensively considered, and changes in the concentration of major air pollutants in the northeast during this period are systematically studied. The large-scale weather circulation patterns that mainly affect the northeast region are divided into nine types by using the T-mode Principal components analysis objective circulation classification method. It is found that the northeast region is located at the edge of weak high pressure (Types 1, 2, and 7) and at the rear of high pressure (Type 4) and has higher concentrations of PM2.5, NO2, SO2, and CO; in cyclonic weather systems, low vortices (Types 3 and 5) and under the influence of the updraft (Type 6) in front of the trough, the ozone concentration is higher. The changes in the concentrations of PM2.5, NO2, CO, SO2, and O3 in the three cities, namely Shenyang, Changchun, and Harbin, during the lockdown period are compared, and it is found that the concentrations of PM2.5, NO2, CO, and SO2 have a tendency to first decrease and then increase, while the changes of O3 concentration are cyclical and increased significantly during this period. This demonstrates that pollutants such as PM2.5, NO2, CO, and SO2 are more susceptible to human activities and local meteorological conditions, and changes in O3 concentration are more closely related to changes in weather circulation types. Finally, the FLEXPART-WRF model is used to simulate the pollution process of nine circulation types, which confirms that particulate pollution in the northeast is mainly affected by local emissions and local westward sinking airflow.

Increasing atmospheric dust transport towards the western Mediterranean over 1948\u20132020

In this study, global reanalysis dataset fields of meteorological parameters (temperature and geopotential height at different atmospheric levels) in the period 1948–2020, were used to characterize the main dynamic and thermodynamic features of African dust outbreaks (ADO) produced over regions of the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands. The record of ADO previously identified with a tried-and-true procedure in 8 different areas of this domain in the period 2001–2020 and the data sets of dust load contributions estimated for all ADO days in each region, were used to check our results. Thus, we demonstrated that air masses of African origin produced a significant increase in the levels of certain thermodynamic variables (geopotential thickness in the 1000–500 hPa layer (GT), mean potential temperature between 925 and 700 hPa (TPOT), and temperature anomalies at 850 hPa (TANOM)) over the regions of study, especially when particular synoptic-scale atmospheric circulation types (CT) occurred. Moreover, higher levels of the three thermodynamic parameters resulted in events with higher contributions of dust load to the regional background levels of PM10 in all regions. Finally, we obtained a statistically significant upward trend for days under ADO CT and their associated daily mean values of GT, TPOT and TANOM from 1948 to 2020. These results point to an increase in the frequency of air mass transport from North Africa to the western Mediterranean basin and on the intensity of the ADO produced as a consequence of this transport, over 1948–2020.

Contributions from Changing Large-Scale Atmospheric Conditions to Changes in Scandinavian Temperature and Precipitation Between Two Climate Normals

Multidecadal changes in regional climate can occur as a forced response to changing greenhouse gases and aerosols, as a result of natural internal climate variability, or due to their combination. Internal climate variability is frequently associated with regional changes in large-scale circulation. We investigate how changes in Scandinavian temperature and precipitation conditions during 1961–2020 can be linked to changes in the atmospheric large-scale circulation. The study is based on data from the ERA5 reanalysis and on Swedish average conditions based on observations from the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute. In general, it is shown that all seasons have become warmer and there is a predominance for more precipitation in the last 30 years. The results also show a clear decrease in daily temperature variability for winter and an increase in summer while there is no similar systematic change for precipitation. Further, we use a circulation type classification technique for identifying ten different circulation types for each calendar month in the 1961–2020 period. Results indicate that changes between the two periods can partly be related to changes in large-scale circulation due to changes in the frequencies of different circulation types. However, it is also clear that the contribution from frequency-related changes to the total change is comparatively low for most months and that changes also within the circulation types are required to explain the total change. The main conclusion of the study is that during the last 30 years it has mostly been warmer than in the preceding 30 years for the same type of weather situation for all months in the year. Consequently, internal climate variability, as represented by changes in the large-scale atmospheric circulation, cannot explain the observed changes in the Scandinavian temperature and precipitation.

Postnatal circulation in patients with aortic stenosis undergoing fetal aortic valvuloplasty: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Fetal aortic valvuloplasty (FAV) has become a treatment option for critical fetal aortic stenosis (AS) with the goal of preserving biventricular circulation (BVC); however, to date, it is unclear how many patients undergoing FAV achieve BVC. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to investigate the type of postnatal circulation achieved following FAV. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library were searched systematically for studies investigating postnatal circulation in patients with AS following FAV. Eligible for inclusion were original papers in the English language, published from 2000 to 2020, with at least 12 months of follow-up after birth. Review papers, abstracts, expert opinions, books, editorials and case reports were excluded. The titles and abstracts of all retrieved literature were screened, duplicates were excluded and the full texts of potentially eligible articles were obtained and assessed. The primary endpoint was type of postnatal circulation. Additional assessed outcomes included fetal death, live birth, neonatal death (NND), termination of pregnancy (TOP) and technical success of the FAV procedure. The quality of articles was assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) tool. To estimate the overall proportion of each endpoint, meta-analysis of proportions was employed using a random-effects model. The electronic search identified 579 studies, of which seven were considered eligible for inclusion in the systematic review and meta-analysis. A total of 266 fetuses underwent FAV with median follow-up per study from 12 months to 13.2 years. There were no maternal deaths and only one case of FAV-related maternal complication was reported. Hydrops was present in 29 (11%) patients. The pooled prevalence of BVC and univentricular circulation (UVC) among liveborn patients was 45.8% (95% CI, 39.2-52.4%) and 43.6% (95% CI, 33.9-53.8%), respectively. The pooled prevalence of technically successful FAV procedure was 82.1% (95% CI, 74.3-87.9%), of fetal death it was 16.0% (95% CI, 11.2-22.4%), of TOP 5.7% (95% CI, 2.0-15.5%), of live birth 78.8% (95% CI, 66.5-87.4%), of NND 8.7% (95% CI, 4.7-15.5%), of palliative care 4.0% (95% CI, 1.9-8.4%) and of infant death 10.3% (95% CI, 3.6-26.1%). The pooled prevalence of BVC and UVC among liveborn patients who had technically successful FAV was 51.9% (95% CI, 44.7-59.1%) and 39.8% (95% CI, 29.7-50.9%), respectively. This study showed a BVC rate of 46% among liveborn patients with AS undergoing FAV, which improved to 52% when subjects underwent technically successful FAV. Given the lack of randomized clinical trials, results should be interpreted with caution. Currently, data do not suggest a true benefit of FAV for achieving BVC. © 2022 The Authors. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Impacts of dynamical downscaling on circulation type statistics in the Euro-CORDEX ensemble

Atmospheric circulation type classification methods were applied to an ensemble of 57 regional climate model simulations from Euro-CORDEX, their 11 boundary models from CMIP5 and the ERA5 reanalysis. We applied a field anomaly technique to focus on the departure from the domain-wide daily mean. We then compared frequencies of the different circulation types in the simulations with ERA5 and found that the regional models add value especially in the summer season. We applied three different classification methods (the subjective Grosswettertypes and the two optimisation algorithms SANDRA and distributed k-means clustering) from the cost733class software and found that the results are not particularly sensitive to choice of circulation classification method. There are large differences between models. Simulations based on MIROC-MIROC5 and CNRM-CERFACS-CNRM-CM5 show an over-representation of easterly flow and an under-representation of westerly. The downscaled results retain the large-scale circulation from the global model most days, but especially the regional model IPSL-WRF381P changes the circulation more often, which increases the error relative to ERA5. Simulations based on ICHEC-EC-EARTH and MPI-M-MPI-ESM-LR show consistently smaller errors relative to ERA5 in all seasons. The ensemble spread is largest in summer and smallest in winter. Under the future RCP8.5 scenario, the circulation changes in the summer season, with more than half of the ensemble showing a decrease in frequency of the Central-Eastern European high, the Scandinavian low as well as south-southeasterly flow. There is in general a strong agreement in the sign of the change between the regional simulations and the data from the corresponding global model.

Random Forests Assessment of the Role of Atmospheric Circulation in PM10 in an Urban Area with Complex Topography

This study presents the assessment of the quantitative influence of atmospheric circulation on the pollutant concentration in the area of Kraków, Southern Poland, for the period 2000–2020. The research has been realized with the application of different statistical parameters, synoptic meteorology tools, the Random Forests machine learning method, and multilinear regression analyses. Another aim of the research was to evaluate the types of atmospheric circulation classification methods used in studies on air pollution dispersion and to assess the possibility of their application in air quality management, including short-term PM10 daily forecasts. During the period analyzed, a significant decreasing trend of pollutants’ concentrations and varying atmospheric circulation conditions was observed. To understand the relation between PM10 concentration and meteorological conditions and their significance, the Random Forests algorithm was applied. Observations from meteorological stations, air quality measurements and ERA-5 reanalysis were used. The meteorological database was used as an input to models that were trained to predict daily PM10 concentration and its day-to-day changes. This study made it possible to distinguish the dominant circulation types with the highest probability of occurrence of poor air quality or a significant improvement in air quality conditions. Apart from the parameters whose significant influence on air quality is well established (air temperature and wind speed at the ground and air temperature gradient), the key factor was also the gradient of relative air humidity and wind shear in the lowest troposphere. Partial dependence calculated with the use of the Random Forests model made it possible to better analyze the impact of individual meteorological parameters on the PM10 daily concentration. The analysis has shown that, for areas with a diversified topography, it is crucial to use the variability of the atmospheric circulation during the day to better forecast air quality.

Реконструкция мягких тканей при обширных раневых дефектах стопы лоскутами с осевым типом кровоснабжения (обзор литературы)

peculiarity of the skin cover of the supporting zones is that the elastic fibers of the soft tissues of the plantar foot fix the skin to the deep fascia and the bone skeleton, resulting in minimizing of the supportive tissue mobility and increasing pressure stability without circulation disorder in areas of increased weight-bearing. Therefore, the requirements to the plastic properties of the selected material for the reconstruction of the soft tissues of the foot increase. Purpose is to review the various methods and techniques of surgical treatment for extensive soft tissue defects of the foot using flaps with an axial type of circulation. Material and methods The search of materials was performed from 2015 through 2020 in the following sources of information: eLibrary.ru; bibliographic bases (Scopus,; Web of Science); electronic library of dissertations of the Russian State Library (http://diss.rsl.ru) and sites of Dissertation Boards. The review of 72 publications of national and foreign authors related to this topic is presented. The depth of source selection was 16 years, starting from 2004. In the last 5 years, 45 studies data have been published. The literature related to surgical treatment of extensive defects in the foot soft tissues using complex flaps with an axial type of circulation supply was analyzed. Results Basing on the analysis of publications from various sources, the disadvantages and advantages of various methods and techniques of reconstructive plastic surgery are presented and various approaches and criteria for choosing the techniques of surgical soft tissues reconstruction are described. Conclusion In the treatment of patients with extensive soft tissue defects of the foot at the current stage of the reconstructive plastic surgery development, the doctrines based on microsurgical technologies of autografts of tissue complexes with an axial type of circulation became the most acceptable ways and techniques for lost skin restoration.

Multi-scale analysis of the impacts of meteorology and emissions on PM2.5 and O3 trends at various regions in China from 2013 to 2020 2. Key weather elements and emissions

A multiscale analysis of meteorological trends was carried out to investigate the impacts of the large-scale circulation types as well as the local-scale key weather elements on the complex air pollutants, i.e., PM2.5 and O3 in China. Following an accompanying paper on synoptic circulation impact (Gong et al., 2022), using a multi-linear regression model, the trends of key meteorological elements at local scale, i.e., temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation, PBL height, precipitation and wind speed, are analyzed and correlated with the trends of PM2.5 and O3 levels to identify significantly influencing factors in seven Chinese cities. Furthermore, with additional emission surrogates introduced in the regression model, the impacts on the trends by meteorology and emission were separated and quantified. Results show that the increasing trends of O3 at most Chinese cities were largely attributed to the trends of meteorological elements of temperature and solar radiation, while the trends of PM2.5 are mostly contributed by the emission reduction measures of PM2.5 and its precursors. The meteorology alone can explain approximately 57–80% of the O3 variations and only 20–33% of the PM2.5 variations. With the addition of emission surrogates, this explanation percentage is increased to about 57–82% for O3 but significantly enhanced to 71–83% for PM2.5.

Temperature extremes and circulation types in the Czech Republic, 1961–2020

AbstractThis paper presents the characteristics of extreme temperatures in the Czech Republic, as calculated from homogenized series of daily maximum (TMAX) and daily minimum (TMIN) temperatures recorded by 133 climatological stations throughout the territory in the 1961–2020 period. In general, statistically significant increasing linear trends were recognized in series of absolute TMAX, absolute TMIN, numbers of summer days, tropical days, days with tropical nights, heat‐wave, and warm‐anomaly days. Significant decreasing linear trends appeared in series of numbers of frost days, ice days, cold‐wave, and cold‐anomaly days. Objective classification of circulation types demonstrated the importance of anticyclonic types (especially those with warm airflow from the southern quadrant) and an unclassified type in the development of summer hot extremes, while winter cold extremes were linked to cold (north‐)easterly advection. Significant changes in the frequency of certain circulation types emerged, as well as an increasing number of anticyclonic types conducive to hot extremes, a trend that contributed to their more frequent occurrence in recent decades. Existing trends in temperatures were complemented by spatiotemporal analysis of extreme temperatures, the characteristics of extremes and the circulation types in the two “normal” periods of 1961–1990 and 1991–2020. These exhibited significant differences in means and variances. The results obtained are also discussed in a broader context.

EVALUASI PENERAPAN PROTOKOL KESEHATAN DALAM MENCEGAH PENULARAN COVID-19 DI GEREJA-GEREJA WILAYAH KECAMATAN GUDO KABUPATEN JOMBANG TAHUN 2021

In March 2020 the government determined that the COVID-19 outbreak was a national disaster that spread through splashes, so gatherings of large numbers of people could increase the risk of spreading COVID-19. The church is a place for Christians to carry out religious activities. During this activity, there was interaction between congregations that could increase the potential for the spread of COVID-19. The purpose of this study was to describe and evaluate the application of health protocols in preventing the transmission of COVID-19 in churches in the Gudo District, Jombang Regency in 2021. This study uses a descriptive observational method. The variables of this research are socialization and education of COVID-19 health protocols, use of masks, hand washing facilities or hand sanitizers, disinfection, social distancing systems, thermoguns, restrictions on the number of congregations and duration of worship, as well as air circulation and floor types. Data collection used observations and interviews to describe the implementation of the COVID-19 health protocol in seven churches in Gudo District, Jombang Regency. Data analysis in this study is to collect data, process and compile, then presented in tabulation then each variable is analyzed descriptively. Observation results show that all churches get the Good category with a minimum score of 76.92%. The results of the interview show that the manager has facilitated the congregation in implementing the COVID-19 health protocol. The conclusion from this research is that the implementation of the COVID-19 health protocol is not optimally implemented, namely socialization and education of the COVID-19 health protocol and measuring body temperature. Suggestions for other researchers who want to continue this research are researching the implementation of the COVID-19 health protocol in places of worship using quantitative research methods.

Patterns of atmospheric circulation in Western Europe linked to heavy rainfall in Germany: preliminary analysis into the 2021 heavy rainfall episode

The July 2021 heavy rainfall episode in parts of Western Europe caused devastating floods, specifically in Germany. This study examines circulation types (CTs) linked to extreme precipitation in Germany. It was investigated if the classified CTs can highlight the anomaly in synoptic patterns that contributed to the unusual July 2021 heavy rainfall in Germany. The North Atlantic Oscillation was found to be the major climatic mode related to the seasonal and inter-annual variations of most of the classified CTs. On average, wet (dry) conditions in large parts of Germany can be linked to westerly (northerly) moisture fluxes. During spring and summer seasons, the mid-latitude cyclone when located over the North Sea disrupts onshore moisture transport from the North Atlantic Ocean by westerlies driven by the North Atlantic subtropical anticyclone. The CT found to have the highest probability of being associated with above-average rainfall in large part of Germany features (i) enhancement and northward track of the cyclonic system over the Mediterranean; (ii) northward track of the North Atlantic anticyclone, further displacing poleward, the mid-latitude cyclone over the North Sea, enabling band of westerly moisture fluxes to penetrate Germany; (iii) cyclonic system over the Baltic Sea coupled with northeast fluxes of moisture to Germany; (iv) and unstable atmospheric conditions over Germany. In 2021, a spike was detected in the amplitude and frequency of occurrence of the aforementioned wet CT suggesting that in addition to the nearly stationary cut-off low over central Europe, during the July flood episode, anomalies in the CT contributed to the heavy rainfall event.

Circulation and Climate Variability in the Czech Republic between 1961 and 2020: A Comparison of Changes for Two “Normal” Periods

Thirty-year periods are treated in climatology as spans with relatively representative and stable climatic patterns, which can be used for calculating climate normals. Annual and seasonal series of circulation types were used to compare two 30-year sub-periods, 1961–1990 and 1991–2020, the second one being strongly influenced by recent global warming. This analysis was conducted according to the objective classification of circulation types and the climatic characteristics of sunshine duration, temperature, humidity, precipitation, and wind speed as calculated for the territory of the Czech Republic during the 1961–2020 period. For both sub-periods, their statistical characteristics were calculated, and the statistical significance of differences between them was evaluated. There was a statistically significant increase in the annual frequencies of anticyclonic circulation types and a significant decrease in cyclonic circulation types during 1991–2020 compared with 1961–1990. Generally, in both 30-year periods, significant differences in means, variability, characteristics of distribution, density functions, and linear trends appear for all climatic variables analysed except precipitation. This indicates that the recent 30-year “normal” period of 1991–2020, known to be influenced more by recent climate change, is by its climatic characteristics unrepresentative of the stable climatic patterns of previous 30-year periods.

Multi-scale analysis of the impacts of meteorology and emissions on PM2.5 and O3 trends at various regions in China from 2013 to 2020 1: Synoptic circulation patterns and pollution

A multiscale analysis of meteorological trends was carried out to investigate the impacts of the large-scale circulation types as well as the local-scale key weather elements on the complex air pollutants, i.e. PM2.5 and O3 in China. As the first paper in the series, the relationship between synoptic circulation patterns and pollution was investigated. Six types of circulation patterns are defined and clustered to correlate with the observed pollutant levels, resulting in the identification of the impact similarity and difference of circulations on PM2.5 and O3 for three regions in China, i.e., the BTH (Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei), YRD (Yangtze River Delta) and PRD (Peral River Delta), from 2013 to 2020. It is found that the six clustered circulation patterns were able to classify the circulation patterns that influence the pollutants and yield significant correlations with O3 and PM2.5 in three regions. The major circulation patterns governing the heavy PM2.5 and O3 were identified separately for each region and found to show inter-annual variabilities. Composite analysis indicated that there were some circulation patterns that caused the dual-highs of PM2.5 and O3 with about 13%, 8% and 3% occurrences during the period of 2013 to 2020 in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, respectively. The key weather elements for each type of circulation pattern were also identified. A detailed study of the impacts of key weather elements and emissions on the PM2.5 and O3 trends will accompany this paper (Gong et al., 2022).