Storminess and associated cyclone tracks along the Atlantic coastlines of Europe: recent evolution and analysis of an CO2- induced climate scenario

The objective of the paper is to identify the distinctive circulation patterns of storminess; of storm frequency, intensity and tracking on the Atlantic margin of Europe. The climatology of the extratropical cyclones that affect this region has been studied for the period 1940-1998. Coastal meteorological data from Ireland to Spain have been linked to the cyclone history for the North Atlantic in the analysis of storm records for European coasts. The results show the evolution in the occurrence of storms since the 1940s for the North Atlantic European margin and also their relationship with the North Atlantic Oscillation. Analyses indicate that a seasonal shift in the wind climate has become established, leading regionally to more severe winters and calmer summers. These results appear to be linked to a northward displacement in the main North Atlantic cyclone