Pathways of the Modified Atlantic Water across the Strait of Sicily
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24028/gzh.0203-3100.v36i4.2014.116028Abstract
The purpose of this study is to study the medium-scale dynamics, as well as the dynamics of the sub-basin scale in the Central Mediterranean, and to elucidate the routes of the Atlantic waters in this region using a high-resolution numerical model of the eddy-resolving simplest equation. The seasonal variability of the two streams of modified Atlantic waters crossing the Sicilian Strait varies considerably. The main stream along the coast of Tunisia, giving rise to the Atlantic Tunisian current, is stronger than the Atlantic Ionian stream (AIP) from autumn to spring. The Atlantic Tunisian current, which, apparently, is present throughout the year, is characterized by high spatial and temporal variability from the simulation results. The high-resolution model is capable of well reproducing the flow and variability of AIP, including such associating characteristic structures as the Advent Benk Vortex, Moltis Channel Cross, Ionian Benc Vortex and the outflow to the northern Ionian Sea.References
Abdennadher J., Boukthir M., 2007. Seasonal and interannual variations of the sea surface circulation in the central Mediterranean Sea derived from 11 years of Topex/Poseidon and ERS1/2 data. Online J. Earth Sci. 1 (4), 180—187.
Astraldi M., Balopoulos S., Candela J., FontJ., Gacic M., Gasparini G. P., Manca B., Theocharis A., 1999. The role of straits and channels in understanding the characteristics of Mediterranean circulation, Progress in Oceanography 44, 65—108.
Astraldi M., Gasparini G. P., Sparnocchia S., Moret- ti M., Sansone E., 1996. The characteristics of the water masses and the water transport in the Sicily Strait at long time scales the eastern and western Mediterranean through the Strait of Sicily. Bulletin de l'Institut Oceanographique, Monaco, CIESM Science Series (2), 95—115.
Astraldi M., Gasparini G. P., Vetrano A., Vignudelli S., 2002. Hydrographic characteristics and interannual variability of water masses in the central Mediterranean: a sensitivity test for longterm changes in the Mediterranean Sea. Deep-Sea Res. Pt. I, 49, 661—680.
Bell M. J., 1997. Vortex stretching and bottom torque in the Bryan-Cox ocean circulation model. The Met. Office. Applications T. N. 17.
Ben Jaber I., Abdennadher J., Boukthir M., 2013. Seasonal Variability of the Atlantic Tunisian current derived from a high resolution model, 40th CIESM Congress.
Boukthir M., Abdennadher J., Jebali J., 2007. Sea Surface Circulation within the Eastern Mediterranean derived from Satellite Observations of Altimetry and Wind. Geophys. J. 29(1), 144—152.
Brasseur P., Beckers J. M., Brankart J. M., Schoe- nauen R., 1996. Seasonal temperature and salinity fields in the Mediterranean Sea: climatological analyses of a historical data set. Deep-Sea Res. Pt. I, 43, 159—192.
Buranger K., Mortier L., Crupon M., 2005. Seasonal variability of water transport through the Straits of Gibraltar, Sicily and Corsica derived from a highboundary conditions were gracefully supplied by Dr. Béranger and they arise from simulations of the circulation of the Mediterranean Sea realized within the framework of the project MORCE- MED (funded by the GIS-Climate) and the project SiMED (funded by GMMC). resolution model of the Mediterranean circulation. Prog. Oceanogr. 66, 341—364.
Buranger K., Mortier L., Gaspirini G.-P., Gervasio L., Astraldi M., Crupon M., 2004. The dynamics of the Sicly strait: a comprehensive study from observations and models. Deep-Sea Res. Pt. II, 51, 411— 440.
Drago A. F., Sorgente R., Ribotti A., 2003. A high resolution hydrodynamic 3-D model simulation of the Malta shelf area. Ann. Geophys. 21, 323—344.
Gasparini G. P., Bonanno A., Zgozi S., Basilone G., Borghini M., Buscaino G., Cuttitta A., Essarbout N., Mazzola S., Patti B., Ramadan A. B., Schroeder K., Bahri T., Massa F., 2008. Evidence of a dense water vein along the Libyan continental margin. Ann. Geophys. 26, 1—6. doi:10.5194/angeo-26-1-2008.
Gasparini G. P., Ortona A., Budillon G., Astraldi M., Sansone E., 2005. The effect of the Eastern Mediterranean transient on the hydrographic characteristics in the Straits of Sicily and in the Tyrrhenian Sea. Deep-Sea Res. Pt. I, 52, 915—935.
Hamad N., Millot C., Taupier-Letage I., 2005. A new hypothesis about the surface circulation in the eastern basin of the Mediterranean Sea. Prog. Ocean- ogr. 66(2-4), 287—298.
Hellerman S., Rosenstein M., 1983. Normal monthly wind stress over the world ocean with error estimates. J. Phys. Oceanogr. 13, 1093—1104.
Herbaut C., Codron F., Crepon M., 1998. Separation of a Coastal Current at a Strait Level: Case of the Strait of Sicily. J. Phys. Oceanogr. 28, 1346—1362.
Lebeaupin Brossier C., Drobindki P., Beranger K., Bastin S., Orain F., 2013. Ocean memory effect on the dynamics of coastal heavy precipitation preceded by a mistral event in the northewestern Mediterranean. Q. J. Roy. Meteorol Soc. 139, 1583—1597.
Lermusiaux P F. J., 1999. Estimation and study of mesoscale variability in the Strait of Sicily. Dynam. Atmos. Oceans 29, 255—303.
Lermusiaux P F. J., Robinson A. R., 2001. Features of dominant mesoscale variability, circulation patterns and dynamics in the Strait of Sicily. Deep-Sea Res. Pt.I, 48, 1953—1997.
Manzella G. M. R., Hopkins T S., Minnett P. J., Naci- ni E., 1990. AtlanticWater in the Strait of Sicily. J. Geophys. Res. 95, 1569—1575.
Manzella G. M. R., La Violette P., 1990. The seasonal variation of water mass content in the western Mediterranean and its relationship with the inflow through the Strait of Gibraltar and Sicily. J. Geo- phys. Res. 95(C2), 1623—1626.
MEDAR/MEDATLAS Group, 2002. MEDAR/MEDAT- LAS 2002 Database. Cruise inventory, observed and analyzed data of temperature and bio-chemical parameters (4 CD-ROMs).
Mellor G. L., Yamada T., 1982. Development of a turbulence closure model for geophysical fluid problems. Rev. Geophys. Space Phys. 20, 851—875/
Napolitano E., Sannino G., Vincenzo A., Marullo S.,
Modeling the baroclinic circulation in the area of the Sicily channel: The role of stratification and energy diagnostics. J. Geophys. Res. 108(C7), 3230. doi:10.1029/2002JC001502.
Oddo P., Pinardi N., 2008. Lateral open boundary conditions for nested limited area models: A scale selective approach. Ocean Model. 20, 134—156.
Onken R., Robinson A. R., Lermusiaux P F. J., Haley P J., Aanderson A. L., 2003. Data-driven simulations of synoptic circulation and transports in the Tunisian-Sardinia-Sicily region. J. Geophys. Res. 108(C9), 8123—8136.
Poulain P. M., Zambianchi E., 2007. Surface circulation in the central Mediterranean Sea as deduced from Lagrangian drifters in the 1990s. Cont. Shelf Res. 27, 981—1001.
Robinson A. R., Sellschopp J., Warn-Varnas A., Anderson L. A., LermusiauxP. F. J., 1999. The Atlantic Ionian Stream. J. Marine Systems 20, 129—156.
Sammari C., Millot C., Taupier-Letage I., Stefani A., Brahim M., 1999. Hydrological characteristics in the Tunisian-Sardinia-Sicily area during spring 1995. Deep-Sea Res. Pt. I, 46, 1671—1703.
Send U., Font J., Krahmann G., Millot C., Rhein M., TintorJ., 1999. Recent advances in observing the physical oceanography of the western Mediterranean. Progress in Oceanography, 44, 37—64.
Shchepetkin A., McWilliams J., 2005. The regional oceanic modeling system (ROMS): a split-explicit, free-surface, topography-following-coordinate oceanic model. Ocean Model 9, 47—404.
Smith W. H. F., Sandwell D. T., 1997. Global sea floor topography from satellite altimetry and ship depth soundings. Sciences 277, 1956—1962.
Sorgente R., Drago A. F., Ribotti A., 2003. Seasonal variability in the Central Mediterranean Sea circulation. Ann. Geophys. 21, 299—322. doi:10.5194/angeo-21-299.
Sorgente R., Olita A., Oddo P., Fazioli L., Ribotti A., 2011. Numerical simulation and decomposition of kinetic energy in the Central Mediterranean: insight on mesoscale circulation and energy conversion. Ocean Sci. 7, 503—519.
Vetrano A., Gasparini G. P., Molcard R., Astraldi M., 2004. Water flux estimates in the central Mediterranean Sea from an inverse box model. J. Geophys. Res. 109, 1—24, C01019.
Warn-Varnas A., Sellschops J., Haley Jr. P J., Leslie W. G., Lozano C. J., 1999. Strait of Sicily water masses. Dynam. Atmos. Oceans 29, 437—469.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2020 Geofizicheskiy Zhurnal
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
