Mediterranean Cyclone tracks between 1979-2018 (40 years) from a high-resolution perspective using ECMWF ERA5 dataset

The present dataset presents the trajectories of the 13,157 cyclones identified within the Mediterranean Region (MR) between 1979 and 2018 (40 years). These cyclone tracks were obtained using the new Cyclone Detection and Tracking Method (CDTM) described in Aragão e Porcù (2021) to take advantage of the recent availability of a high-resolution reanalysis dataset of ECMWF ERA5. The CDTM uses hourly data of Geopotential Height at 1000 hPa with a spatial resolution of 0.25°x0.25°, and the analysis' domain covers the area within 15°W to 48° E and 21° N to 54°N. Additionally, trying to eliminate artificial low-pressure cores, short-living thermal-lows or too weak cyclones as much as possible, the present study only considered cyclones lasting more than 24h.
The dataset presents hourly information for all cyclones from the cyclogenesis time to the cyclolysis time. Each record presents: [1] Cyclone ID (integer, 8 digits), [2] Cyclone centre longitude position (°E, real, 8 digits, 3 decimal digits), [3] Cyclone centre latitude position (°N, real, 8 digits, 3 decimal digits), [4] Year (integer, 4 digits),  [5] Month (integer, 2 digits),  [6] Day (integer, 2 digits), [7] Hour (integer, 2 digits), [9] Cyclone centre Geopotential Height at 1000 hPa (m, real, 9 digits, 3 decimal digits).
The analyses presented in Aragão e Porcù (2021) revealed that the proposed CDTM is capable to capture almost the totality of the observed cyclones, as well as describing its respective area of cyclogenesis, trajectories, and durations. More than an adaptation to a high-resolution dataset, the method brings as its primary contribution a suitable set of parameters to systematically identify and track the cyclonic activities in the Mediterranean, where cyclones do not have sizeable horizontal pressure gradients and present a shorter lifetime compared to open-ocean cyclones.

Cite this article

Aragão, L., Porcù, F. Cyclonic activity in the Mediterranean region from a high-resolution perspective using ECMWF ERA5 dataset. Clim Dyn (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-021-05963-x