Articles | Volume 22, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-22-339-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-22-339-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
12 Feb 2026
Research article |
| 12 Feb 2026
| 12 Feb 2026
Hydroclimatic variability and weather type characteristics in the Levant during the last interglacial
Efraim Bril
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Fredy and Nadine Herrmann Institute of Earth Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
Adi Torfstein
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Fredy and Nadine Herrmann Institute of Earth Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences, Eilat, Israel
Roy Yaniv
Fredy and Nadine Herrmann Institute of Earth Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
Center for Climate Medicine and Human Health, Gertner Institute, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel
Assaf Hochman
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Fredy and Nadine Herrmann Institute of Earth Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
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Biogeosciences, 23, 1065–1088, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-1065-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-1065-2026, 2026
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We investigated the shell chemistry of planktic organisms called foraminifera to understand how conditions in the Gulf of Aqaba (north of Red Sea), a relative warm and saline sea, are recorded. We analyzed shell parts, called chambers, and we found that shell chemistry varies significantly between both chambers and foraminifera species. These findings help better understand how deposited shells can be used to reconstruct past ocean temperatures and other conditions.
Lin Hoober, Barak Herut, Nadya Teutsch, Sarit Ashckenazi-Polivoda, Adi Torfstein, and Sigal Abramovich
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-38, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-38, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Biogeosciences (BG).
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Foraminifera are tiny marine organisms that build shells and have evolved different ways of doing so over millions of years. By comparing two major groups living side by side in the Mediterranean Sea, this study shows that their shells record clear, systematic chemical differences. These contrasts reveal fundamentally different shell-building strategies shaped by evolution, not just by the surrounding environment.
Ofer Cohen, Assaf Hochman, Ehud Strobach, Dorita Rostkier-Edelstein, Hezi Gildor, and Ori Adam
Weather Clim. Dynam., 7, 263–275, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-7-263-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-7-263-2026, 2026
Short summary
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Severe warming and drying in the Eastern Mediterranean makes seasonal prediction of regional rain imperative. The study explores the observed relation of Mediterranean Sea variability to Levant winter precipitation. Ocean heat uptake in the Aegean Sea during summer is found to be a strong predictor of winter Levant precipitation. This connection is mediated by changes in the subtropical jet, which create more favorable conditions for precipitating storms in the Levant during winter.
Emmanouil Flaounas, Stavros Dafis, Silvio Davolio, Davide Faranda, Christian Ferrarin, Katharina Hartmuth, Assaf Hochman, Aristeidis Koutroulis, Samira Khodayar, Mario Marcello Miglietta, Florian Pantillon, Platon Patlakas, Michael Sprenger, and Iris Thurnherr
Weather Clim. Dynam., 6, 1515–1538, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-6-1515-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-6-1515-2025, 2025
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Storm Daniel (2023) is one of the most catastrophic storms ever documented in the Mediterranean. Our results highlight the different dynamics and therefore the different predictability skill of precipitation, its extremes and impacts that have been produced in Greece and Libya, the two most affected countries. Our approach concerns an analysis of the storm by articulating dynamics, weather prediction, hydrological and oceanographic implications, climate extremes, and attribution theory.
Assaf Hochman, Francesco Marra, Gabriele Messori, Joaquim G. Pinto, Shira Raveh-Rubin, Yizhak Yosef, and Georgios Zittis
Earth Syst. Dynam., 13, 749–777, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-13-749-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-13-749-2022, 2022
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Gaining a complete understanding of extreme weather, from its physical drivers to its impacts on society, is important in supporting future risk reduction and adaptation measures. Here, we provide a review of the available scientific literature, knowledge gaps and key open questions in the study of extreme weather events over the vulnerable eastern Mediterranean region.
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Short summary
During a past warm period, we found that the eastern Mediterranean region experienced stronger but shorter rain events, especially in the south. The warming made the air wetter, which helped produce more intense rainfall. Using climate models and recent data, we show how this improves our understanding of future changes in dry regions.
During a past warm period, we found that the eastern Mediterranean region experienced stronger...
