This project belongs to the category of Marie Curie International International Incoming Fellowships (IIF) of FP7 and its goal is to support the research of an incoming senior researcher Dr. Jeffrey Aaron Nystuen into the European Research Area. The Hellenic Center for Marine Research was committed to support this international fellow by offering Dr. Nystuen a two-year senior researcher (> 10 year experience) appointment according to the Marie Curie regulations for International Incoming Fellows. The program supports research that would advance our understanding of the distribution and change of oceanic rainfall patterns, which constitute a major component of global/regional water cycle and climate change.