Remote Climate Processes underlying Summer Drought Events in the Mediterranean

An analysis of the actual aridity index and climate vulnerability is performed showing a possible desertification risk in the Mediterranean region. Results can be used to evaluate the impact of possible prolonged droughts in the Mediterranean Region on the basis of a vulnerability context. In this respect, the role of the Asian and the West Africa monsoons on the Mediterranean summer climate is investigated on the basis of multiple gridded data sets. Composite differences of few atmospheric parameters are evaluated in years when the monsoons were stronger and weaker than the climatic average. Results show a link between the monsoons and the summer Mediterranean climate, which depends on the monsoon system considered. This connection is more evident when years of strong or weak monsoons are considered, and shows a time evolution with the summer season.