PRECIPITATION IN THE CENTRAL MEDITERRANEAN DURING THE LAST CENTURY

Monthly precipitation data from 10 stations (Patras, Corfu, Hvar, Trieste, Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples, Catania and Malta) in the Central Mediterranean area are used for a period of 95 years (1894-1988). The homogeneity of these precipitation time series is tested and their statistical characteristics are analysed. An abrupt climatic change is found at Naples and Rome. The application of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) has yielded three groups of stations where the precipitation data indicate similar fluctuations. Group A includes the stations situated along the coasts of the Ionian and Adriatic seas and the station Naples, while Group B includes the Northern Italian stations and Group C includes the stations at Catania and Malta. In all three groups maximum precipitation was observed during the 1930s. The periodicities of the scores of the significant components have been studied by spectral analysis and significant periodicities of 13.6, 3.5 and 2.2 years were found. Finally, a discussion of the relationships between these precipitation fluctuations and circulation types over the Mediterranean is presented.