GS Karen McKinnon will be presenting Miralles et al. (2014), "Mega-heatwave temperatures due to combined soil desiccation and atmospheric heat accumulation."
Miralles and co-authors present case studies of the large heat waves in Europe in 2003 and Russia in 2010. Using both data (satellites, balloon measurements) and a land surface-atmosphere model, they examine the land surface and atmospheric conditions that allowed for the large heat waves. They find that mega-heatwaves require both the 'correct' synoptic conditions and a desiccated land surface -- and the locations of most intense heat are those where the coupling between soil dryness and atmospheric temperature are (even before the event) the strongest. The method for quantifying the magnitude of this coupling is delineated in Miralles et al. (2012), which is included here as supplementary material. Although the main paper is, alas, a Nature (Geoscience) paper, I think it presents an interesting and thorough analysis of heat waves, and I look forward to discussing their methods as well as potential applications for predictability.
LOCATION:HUCE Seminar Room STATUS:CONFIRMED DTSTART:20140916T190000Z DTEND:20140916T200000Z END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR