Note: Cover -- Abridged Contents -- Contents -- Preface -- The Mediterranean Climate: An Overview of the Main Characteristics and Issues -- The Mediterranean Region: Climate and Characteristics -- Regional Processes and Links to the Global Climate -- Climate Trends and Change at Regional Scale -- Socio-environmental Aspects -- Acknowledgements -- References -- Mediterranean Climate Variability over the Last Centuries: A Review -- Introduction -- Past Regional Mediterranean Climate Evidence and Extremes -- Evidence from Early Instrumental and Documentary Data -- Iberian Peninsula -- France -- Italy -- Southern Balkans, Greece and Eastern Mediterranean -- Northern Africa -- Ship Logbooks as a New Documentary Proxy for Past Mediterranean Climate -- Evidence from Natural Proxies -- Tree-Ring Information from the Iberian Peninsula and Italy -- Tree-Ring Information from South Eastern Europe and Eastern Mediterranean -- Tree-Ring Information from Northern Africa -- Speleothems -- Corals -- Evidence from Lower Resolution Natural Proxies and New Marine Archives -- Subsurface temperature information in the Mediterranean from borehole data -- Mediterranean sea temperatures and sea-water chemistry derived from Vermetids, non--tropical, and deep-sea corals -- Large-Scale Climate Reconstructions and Importance of Proxy Data for the Mediterranean -- Mediterranean Winter Temperature and Precipitation Variability over the Last 500 Years -- Connection between the Large-Scale Atmospheric Circulation and Mediterranean Winter Climate over the Last Centuries -- Major Atmospheric Circulation Patterns Associated with Mediterranean Winter Climate Anomalies -- Mediterranean Climate Variability since the Mid-Seventeenth Century in Terms of Large-Scale Circulation Dynamics. , Running Correlation Analysis between the Large-Scale Atmospheric Circulation and Mediterranean Winter Climate over the Last Centuries -- Teleconnection Studies with Other Parts of the Northern Hemisphere -- Mediterranean Winter Temperature and Precipitation Reconstructions in Comparison with the ECHO-G and HadCM3 Coupled Models -- Past Climate Variability and its Relations to Volcanism, Solar Activity and GHG Concentrations: Reconstructions and Models -- Conclusions -- Outlook -- Acknowledgements -- References -- Relations between Climate Variability in the Mediterranean Region and the Tropics: ENSO, South Asian and African Monsoons, Hurricanes and Saharan Dust -- Introduction -- ENSO Impact on the Mediterranean Climate -- ENSO and Eastern Mediterranean (EM) Rainfall -- ENSO and the Western Mediterranean Relationship -- ENSO and Extreme Mediterranean Rainfall -- Transient and Stationary Waves Approach -- Possible Coupling Mechanism of ENSO and the Mediterranean -- South Asian Monsoon Variability and the Mediterranean Climate -- Mediterranean Climate and South Asian Rainfall -- African Monsoon Impact on the Climate of the Mediterranean -- Tropical Cyclones' Impact on the Mediterranean Climate -- Tropical Intrusions into the Mediterranean Basin -- Mediterranean Dust Transport from Sahara -- Conclusions and Outlook -- Future Research on ENSO Impact on Mediterranean Climate -- Future Research on South Asian Monsoon Variability and the Mediterranean Climate -- Future Research on African Monsoon Impacts on the Climate of the Mediterranean -- Future Research on Tropical Intrusions into the Mediterranean Basin -- Acknowledgements -- References -- Relations between Variability in the Mediterranean Region and Mid-Latitude Variability -- Introduction -- Mid-Latitude Modes of Atmospheric Variability and their Impact -- The North Atlantic Oscillation Pattern. , The Eastern Atlantic and Eastern Atlantic/Western Russia Patterns -- The Scandinavian and Blocking Patterns -- Other Modes -- Temperature Variability -- Precipitation Variability -- Trends -- Temperature Trends -- Precipitation Trends -- Contributing Factors for Observed Temperature and Precipitation™Trends -- Other Important Forcing Factors -- Tropical and Extratropical SST -- Solar Variability -- Future Outlook -- Acknowledgements -- References -- Changes in the Oceanography of the Mediterranean Sea and their Link to Climate Variability -- Introduction -- The Forcing of the Mediterranean Sea -- Air& -- ndash -- Sea Interaction -- River Outflow -- Exchanges through the Strait of Gibraltar -- The Exchange with the Black Sea -- The Mediterranean Overturning Circulation -- The Modification of the Atlantic Inflow -- Intermediate Water Formation -- Deep Water Formation in the Eastern Mediterranean -- Deep Water Formation in the Western Mediterranean -- Climatic Changes in the Mediterranean Sea Circulation -- Multidecadal Trends in Water Mass Characteristics -- Rapid Changes: The Eastern Mediterranean Transient -- What Caused the EMT? -- mk4004sec16sec16 -- Where did the Deep Water Formation Take Place? -- How Much Deep Water was Produced by the EMT? -- Why did the EMT Happen? -- The Impact of Large-Scale Atmospheric Variability on the Mediterranean Sea -- Sea Level Changes in the Mediterranean Sea -- Extreme Sea Levels -- Changes in the Wind-wave Field -- Outlook and Future Challenges -- Acknowledgements -- References -- The Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea as Connected Systems -- Introduction -- Mediterranean Outflow vs. Mediterranean Internal Variability -- Description of Numerical Model -- Zonal and Meridional Cells -- Mean State and Variability -- Timescales of Mediterranean Thermohaline Circulation -- Decadal Oscillations in the Mediterranean Sea. , The Strait of Gibraltar: A Gate to the Atlantic -- Spreading of Mediterranean Outflow Water in the North Atlantic -- Dynamics of Mediterranean Outflow Water -- mk4005sec11asec11a -- Meddies -- Mediterranean Undercurrent -- Mediterranean Outflow Water and Stability and Variability of™Meridional Overturning Circulation -- Modelling of Mediterranean Outflow Water -- mk4005sec15asec15a -- Simplified Models -- General Circulation Model Studies -- Discussion and Future Challenges -- References -- Cyclones in the Mediterranean Region: Climatology and Effects on the Environment -- Introduction -- & -- ldquo -- Historical& -- rdquo -- Notes -- Mediterranean Cyclones: Data, Methods and Dynamics -- Dynamics of Cyclones in the Mediterranean Region -- Available Sets of Data -- Methodology -- Climatology of Cyclones in the Mediterranean -- Characteristics, Sub-Areas of Cyclogenesis, Seasonality and™Generation™Mechanisms -- The Role of Large-Scale Climate Patterns on the Mediterranean™Cyclones -- Trends -- Weather Patterns and Mediterranean Environment -- Precipitation -- Strong Winds -- Storm Surge -- Wind Waves -- Landslides -- Conclusions -- Outlook -- Acknowledgements -- References -- Regional Atmospheric, Marine Processes and Climate Modelling -- Introduction -- Teleconnection Patterns from the Mediterranean Region -- Mediterranean Thermohaline Circulation and its Sensitivity to Atmospheric Forcing -- Sensitivity of the Mediterranean Thermohaline Circulation to Anthropogenic Global Warming -- Current Status of Mediterranean Regional Climate Modelling -- Atmosphere-Sea Coupled Modelling -- Perspectives and Outlooks -- High-Resolution Mediterranean Climate Modelling Systems -- Development and Validation of Integrated Regional Modelling Systems -- Acknowledgements -- References -- The Mediterranean Climate Change under Global Warming -- Introduction. , Global-Coupled Climate Models -- Regional Climate Scenarios -- Statistical Downscaling -- RCM Simulations -- AGCM Simulations with Variable Resolution -- Impacts on Land Surface and Vegetation -- Future Research -- References -- Subject Index.