Med-CORDEX is an international initiative to coordinate and promote the use of Regional Climate Models (RCMs) and Regional Earth System Models (RESMs) for the Mediterranean region, including atmosphere, ocean, and land surface processes.

Med-CORDEX Framework

Med-CORDEX is a unique framework where the research community will make use of both regional atmospheric, land surface, river and oceanic climate models and coupled regional climate system models for increasing the reliability of past and future regional climate information and understanding the processes that are responsible for the Mediterranean climate variability and trends.

Med-CORDEX Geographic Areas

The areas surrounding the Mediterranean basin have quite a unique character that results both from their complex morphology and socio-economic conditions. It is indeed surrounded by various and complex topography channelling regional winds (Mistral, Tramontane, Bora, Etesian, Sirocco) than defined local climates and from which numerous rivers feed the Mediterranean sea. Many small-size islands limit the low-level air flow and its coastline is particularly complex. Strong land-sea contrast, land-atmosphere feedback, intense air-sea coupling and aerosol-radiation interaction are also among the regional characteristics to take into account when dealing the Mediterranean climate modeling. In addition, the region features an enclosed sea with a very active regional thermohaline circulation. It is connected to the Atlantic ocean only by Gibraltar strait and surrounded by very urbanized littorals.

The Mediterranean region is consequently a good case study for climate regionalization and was naturally chosen as a CORDEX sub-domain (MED) leading to the Med-CORDEX initiative endorsed by Med-CLIVAR and HyMeX. The MED domain is defined in the CORDEX domain document.

Scientific Steering Committee

Institution Member
GUF Bodo Ahrens
ICTP Erika Coppola
IEO Gabriel Jordà
OGS Marco Reale
ENEA Gianmaria Sannino
LA Fabien Solmon
CNRM Samuel Somot

Contact Points

Institution Contact Point
AWI - GERICS William Cabos - Dimitry Sein
CMCC - Univ Salento Dario Conte - Piero Lionello
CNRM Samuel Somot
ENEA Alessandro Anav - Gianmaria Sannino
GUF Bodo Ahrens
ICTP Erika Coppola
IMS Pavel Khain head of NWP team - Leenes Uzan - Elyakom Vadislavsky
IPSL Jan Polcher - Romain Pennel
ITU Baris Onol
JRC Diego Macias-Moy
LMD Laurent Li
OGS Marco reale
UCLM Miguel Gaertner
Univ of Belgrade Vladimir Djurdjevic