Seasonal and inter-annual variability of Mediterranean Sea overturning circulation: a model-based analysis ...
It is known that an overturning circulation develops in the Mediterranean Sea, although substantially weaker and smaller than in the North Atlantic. We use monthly mean fields from a high-resolution ocean reanalysis (1/16º ×1/16º) to explore seasonal and interannual variability of Mediterranena Sea...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Conference Object |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences
2023
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://dx.doi.org/10.57757/iugg23-3322 https://gfzpublic.gfz-potsdam.de/pubman/item/item_5019676 |
| Summary: | It is known that an overturning circulation develops in the Mediterranean Sea, although substantially weaker and smaller than in the North Atlantic. We use monthly mean fields from a high-resolution ocean reanalysis (1/16º ×1/16º) to explore seasonal and interannual variability of Mediterranena Sea overturning circulation in both depth and water mass parameter spaces (potential density, potential temperature, salinity) from 1987 to 2018. Results show a clear single zonal clockwise transport cell in all three spaces that extends from the Strait of Gibraltar to the Levantine Basin, in which water masses tend to densify as they move eastward. This densification is mainly controlled by salinity in the Eastern Mediterranean basin (EMED), while in the Western Mediterranean (WMED) both salinity and potential temperature variations must be taken into account. In contrast, the meridional overturning transport, much more complex, is able to capture smaller-scale variations better since it responds faster to ... : The 28th IUGG General Assembly (IUGG2023) (Berlin 2023) ... |
|---|