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A high-resolution ocean circulation modelling system forced with a high-resolution numerical wind product was used to study the mesoscale and sub-mesoscale eddy population of the North-Western Mediterranean Sea, contrasting eddy-activity between the Tyrrhenian and Ligurian sub-basins. Numerical solutions reproduced some of the known regional dynamics, namely the occurrence and oceanic implications of Mistral events, the convective cell leeward of the Gulf of Lion, as well as the Balearic frontal system. Calculated transport across the Corsica Channel followed a similar trend, when compared to the transport computed from a moored current meter. The analysis of the results showed that surface eddy activity is mostly confined to the boundary-currents, whereas in the deeper layers most eddies are concentrated on the central-deeper part of the basins. The Liguro-Provenc,al basin shows a much higher concentration of intermediate and deep-water eddies, when compared to the Tyrrhenian basin. Submesoscale surface eddies tend to merge and migrate vertically onto intermediate wa ters. Intense eddy activity in the boundary-current surrounding the Liguro-Provenc,al Gyre, concentrate high-productivity, manifested by higher concentrations of mean sea surface chlorophyll, in the central part of the gyre, defined herein as the Ligurian Productive Pool (LPP). On average, the Tyrrhenian was mostly oligotrophic except for a small productive vortice in the south-eastern (leeward) side of Corsica. The transport in the Tyrrhenian Gyre, and across the basin is one order of magnitude higher than the transport calculated for the Liguro-Provenc,al basin. A high concentration of eddies in the passage between the Balearic Archipelago and Sardinia suggests retention and longer residence times of nutrient rich water in the "Ligurian pool", compared to a "fast draining" Tyrrhenian basin. Previous studies support the cyclonic gyre circulation generated in the Liguro-Provenc,al basin but more studies are needed to address the surface and deep mesoscale activity of the Tyrrhenian basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Helium isotopes (³He, 4He) are useful tracers for investigating the deep ocean circulation and for evaluating ocean general circulation models, because helium is a stable and conservative nuclide that does not take part in any chemical or biological process. Helium in the ocean originates from three different sources: namely, (i) gas dissolution in equilibrium with atmospheric helium, (ii) helium-3 addition by radioactive decay of tritium (called tritiugenic helium), and (iii) injection of terrigenic helium-3 and helium-4 by the submarine volcanic activity which occurs mainly at plate boundaries, and also addition of (mainly) helium-4 from the crust and sedimentary cover by α-decay of uranium and thorium contained in various minerals. We present the first simulation of the terrigenic helium isotope distribution in the whole Mediterranean Sea, using a high-resolution model (NEMO-MED12). For this simulation we build a simple source function for terrigenic helium isotopes based on published estimates of terrestrial helium fluxes. We estimate a hydrothermal flux of 3.5mol ³He yr-1 and a lower limit for the crustal flux at 1.6 10-7 mol 4He mol m-2 yr-1. In addition to providing constraints on helium isotope degassing fluxes in the Mediterranean, our simulations provide information on the ventilation of the deep Mediterranean waters which are useful for assessing NEMO-MED12 performance. This study is part of the work carried out to assess the robustness of the NEMO-MED12 model, which will be used to study the evolution of the climate and its effect on the biogeochemical cycles in the Mediterranean Sea, and to improve our ability to predict the future evolution of the Mediterranean Sea under the increasing anthropogenic pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Statistics of transit and residence times in the surface Adriatic Sea, a semi-enclosed basin of the Mediterranean, are estimated from drifter data and Lagrangian numerical simulations. The results obtained from the drifters are generally underestimated given their short operating lifetimes (half life of ˜40 days) compared to the transit and residence times. This bias can be removed by considering a large amount of numerical particles whose trajectories are integrated over a long time (750 days) with a statistical advection-diffusion model of the Adriatic surface circulation. Numerical particles indicate that the maximum transit time to exit the basin is about 216-260 days for objects released near the northern tip of the Adriatic, and that a particle entering on the eastern Otranto Channel will typically exit on the other side of the Channel after 170-185 days. A value of 150-168 days is estimated for the residence time in the Adriatic basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a comprehensive account of tritium and ³He in the Mediterranean Sea since the appearance of the tritium generated by the atmospheric nuclear-weapon testing in the 1950's and early 1960's, based on essentially all available observations. Tritium in surface waters rose to 20-30 TU in 1964 (TU = 1018 [³H]/[H]), a factor of about 100 above the natural level, and thereafter declined 30-fold up to 2011. The decline was largely due to radioactive tritium decay, which produced significant amounts of its stable daughter ³He. We present the scheme by which we separate the tritiugenic part of ³He and the part due to release from the sea floor (terrigenic part). We show that the tritiugenic component can be quantified throughout the Mediterranean waters, typically to a ±0.15 TU equivalent, mostly because the terrigenic part is low in ³He. This fact makes the Mediterranean unique in offering a potential for the use of tritiugenic ³He as a tracer. The transient distributions of the two tracers are illustrated by a number of sections spanning the entire sea and relevant features of their 15 distributions are noted. By 2011, the ³He concentrations in the top few hundred meters had become low, in response to the decreasing tritium concentrations combined with a flushing out by the general westward drift of these waters. Tritium-³He ages in Levantine Intermediate Water (LIW) were obtained repeated in time at different locations, defining transit times from the LIW source region east of Rhodes. The ages show an 20 upward trend with the time elapsed since the surface-water tritium maximum, which arises because the repeated observations represent increasingly slower moving parts of the full transit time spectrum of LIW. The transit time dispersion found by this new application of tritium-³He dating is considerable. We find mean transit times of 12±2 yr up to the Strait of Sicily, 18±3 yr up to the Tyrrhenian Sea, and 22±4 yr up into the 25 Western Mediterranean. We furthermore present full Eastern Mediterranean sections of terrigenic ³He and tritium-³He age in 1987, the latter one similarly showing an effect of the transit time dispersion. We conclude that the available tritium and ³He data, in particular if combined with other tracer data, are useful for constraining the subsurface circulation and mixing of the Mediterranean Sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sea Level Thematic Assembly Center from the MyOcean project provides observations of the ocean dynamic topography from altimeter measurements. Three specific indicators have been developed, based on altimeter data only, in order to monitor the ocean state. The first ocean indicator observes the positive and negative phases of the ENSO events in the Tropical Pacific, the El Niño/La Niña events since 1992. The second ocean indicator checks the contracted or extended state of the Kuroshio Extension. The last ocean indicator is dedicated to the Ionian basin in the Mediterranean Sea and permits to separate "zonal-cyclonic" state (1998-2005 and since 2011 up to now) from the "anticyclonic" state (1993-1996) usually discussed in the literature. In addition it allows identifying a third state in which both the anticyclonic circulation around the northern part of the basin and the strong zonal Mid-Ionian jet co-exist (2008-2010). Besides providing useful indices to monitor the ocean state, these indicators are a new tool to assess the long-term quality of the SLTAC products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We develop and implement a new method to take into account the impact of waves into the 3-D circulation model SYMPHONIE (Marsaleix et al., 2008, 2009a), following the simplified equations of Bennis et al. (2011) which use glm2z-RANS theory (Ardhuin 5 et al., 2008b). These adiabatic equations are completed by additional parameterizations of wave breaking, bottom friction and wave-enhanced vertical mixing, making the forcing valid from the surf zone through to the open ocean. The wave forcing is performed by wave generation and propagation models WAVEWATCH III® (Tolman, 2008, 2009; Ardhuin et al., 2010) and SWAN (Booij et al., 1999). The model is tested and 10 compared with other models for a plane beach test case, previously tested by Haas and Warner (2009) and Uchiyama et al. (2010). A comparison is also made with the laboratory measurements of Haller et al. (2002) of a barred beach with channels. Results fit with previous simulations performed by other models and with available observational data. 15 Finally, a realistic case of energetic waves travelling over a coast of the Gulf of Lion (in the northwest of the Mediterranean Sea) for which currents are available at different depths as well as an accurate bathymetric database of the 0-10m depth range, is then simulated. A grid nesting approach is used to account for the different forcings acting at different spatial scales. The simulation coupling the effects of waves and 20 currents is successful to reproduce the powerful northward littoral drift in the 0-15m depth zone. More precisely, two distinct cases are identified: when waves have a normal angle of incidence with the coast, they are responsible for complex circulation cells and rip currents in the surf zone, and when they travel obliquely, they generate a northward littoral drift. These features are more complicated than in the test cases, due 25 to the complex bathymetry and the consideration of wind and non-stationary processes. Wave impacts in the inner shelf are less visible since wind and regional circulation seem to be the predominant forcings. Besides, a discrepancy between model and observations is noted at that scale, possibly linked to an underestimation of the wind stress. Lastly, this three-dimensional method allows a good representation of vertical current profiles and permits to calculate the shear stress associated with wave and current. Future work will focus on the combination with a sediment transport model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spatial and temporal variability of eddy and mean kinetic energy of the Central Mediterranean Sea has been investigated, from January 2008 to December 2010, by mean of a numerical simulation mainly to quantify the mesoscale dynamics and their relationships with physical forcing. In order to understand the energy redistribution processes, the baroclinic energy conversion has been analysed, suggesting hypotheses about the drivers of the mesoscale activity in this area. The ocean model used is based on the Princeton Ocean Model implemented at 1/32° horizontal resolution. Surface momentum and buoyancy fluxes are interactively computed by mean of standard bulk formulae using predicted model Sea Surface Temperature and atmospheric variables provided by the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecast operational analyses. At its lateral boundaries the model is one-way nested within the Mediterranean Forecasting System operational products. The model domain has been subdivided in four sub-regions: Sardinia channel and southern Tyrrhenian Sea, Sicily channel, eastern Tunisian shelf and Libyan Sea. Temporal evolution of eddy and mean kinetic energy has been analysed, on each of the four sub-regions composing the model domain, showing different behaviours. On annual scales and within the first 5m depth, the eddy kinetic energy represents approximately the 60% of the total kinetic energy over the whole domain, confirming the strong mesoscale nature of the surface current flows in this area. The analyses show that the model well reproduces the path and the temporal behaviour of the main known subbasin circulation features. New mesoscale structures have been also identified, from numerical results and direct observations, for the first time as the Pantelleria Vortex and the Medina Gyre. The classical the kinetic energy decomposition (eddy and mean) allowed to depict and to quantify the stable and fluctuating parts of the circulation in the region, and to differentiate the four sub-regions as function of relative and absolute strength of the mesoscale activity. Furthermore the Baroclinic Energy Conversion term shows that in the Sardinia Channel the mesoscale activity, due to baroclinic instabilities, is significantly larger than in the other sub-regions, while a negative sign of the energy conversion, meaning a transfer of energy from the Eddy Kinetic Energy to the Eddy Available Potential Energy, has been recorded only for the surface layers of the Sicily Channel during summer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the first evaluation of the quality of the forecast and analyses produced at the basin scale by the Mediterranean ocean Forecasting System (MFS) (http://gnoo.bo.ingv.it/mfs). The system produces short-term ocean forecasts for the following ten days. Analyses are produced weekly using a daily assimilation cycle. The analyses are compared with independent data from buoys, where available, and with the assimilated data before the data are inserted. In this work we have considered 53 ten days forecasts produced from 16 August 2005 to 15 August 2006. The forecast skill is evaluated by means of root mean square error (rmse) differences, bias and anomaly correlations at different depths for temperature and salinity, computing differences between forecast and analysis, analysis and persistence and forecast and persistence. The Skill Score (SS) is defined as the ratio of the rmse of the difference between analysis and forecast and the rmse of the difference between analysis and persistence. The SS shows that at 5 and 30m the forecast is always better than the persistence, but at 300m it can be worse than persistence for the first days of the forecast. This result may be related to flow adjustments introduced by the data assimilation scheme. The monthly variability of SS shows that when the system variability is high, the values of SS are higher, therefore the forecast has higher skill than persistence. We give evidence that the error growth in the surface layers is controlled by the atmospheric forcing inaccuracies, while at depth the forecast error can be interpreted as due to the data insertion procedure. The data, both in situ and satellite, are not homogeneously distributed in the basin; therefore, the quality of the analyses may be different in different areas of the basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several scientific programs, including the Mediterranean Forecasting System Toward Environmental Predictions (MFSTEP project), request high space and time resolutions of surface wind speed and direction. The purpose of this paper is to focus on surface wind improvements over the global Mediterranean Sea, based on the blending near real time remotely sensed wind observations and ECMWF wind analysis. Ocean surface wind observations are retrieved from QuikSCAT scatterometer and from SSM/I radiometers available at near real time at Météo-France. Using synchronous satellite data, the number of remotely sensed data available for each analysis epoch (00:00 h; 06:00 h; 12:00 h; 18:00 h) is not uniformly distributed as a function of space and time. On average two satellite wind observations are available for each analysis time period. The analysis is performed by optimum interpolation (OI) based on the kriging approach. The needed covariance matrixes are estimated from the satellite wind speed, zonal and meridional component observations. The quality of the 6-hourly resulting blended wind fields on 0.25° grid are investigated trough comparisons with the remotely sensed observations as well as with moored buoy wind averaged wind estimates. The blended wind data and remotely wind observations, occurring within 3 h and 0.25° from the analysis estimates, compare well over the global basin as well as over the sub-basins. The correlation coefficients exceed 0.95 while the rms difference values are less than 0.30 m/s. Using measurements from moored buoys, the high-resolution wind fields are found to have similar accuracy as satellite wind retrievals. Blended wind estimates exhibit better comparisons with buoy moored in open sea than near shore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The circulation of the western Mediterranean Sea (WMED) is dominated by highly variable and heterogeneous mesoscale circulation that is strongly driven by the formation and propagation of eddies (cyclonic and anticyclonic) mainly acting in the Algerian Basin. In order to investigate the spatial and temporal distribution of eddy generation and their respective paths in the Algerian Basin, the most energetic WMED portion, we use an automated detection and tracking hybrid method applied to 24 years of sea level anomaly (SLA) data. The algorithm is based on the computation of the Okubo-Weiss parameter in SLA closed loops and has been modified in order to fill the gaps in single eddy tracks. In this work we analysed both cyclonic and anticyclonic structures, but the conclusions will be focused mainly on anticyclones with a lifespan longer than 3 months, as they are characterized by higher kinetic energy, thereby potentially contributing to a large extent to the mesoscale characterization of the basin. In particular, we find that anticyclonic short-life eddies mostly occur in the northern portion of the domain, north of 39 ° N along the North Balearic Front (NBF). Such shortlife eddies, labelled frontal eddies (FEs), are characterized by low translational velocity and a highly variable direction of propagation. We found a weak seasonality in their formation, with maxima in fall and winter. By contrast, anticyclonic longer-life eddies tend to arise in the southern part of the basin along the Algerian Current, with a clear maximum in spring. All the structures (both cyclonic and anticyclonic) originating along the Algerian Current are known as Algerian eddies (AEs). According to previous studies, we observe that these anticyclonic eddies mainly form east of 6.5 ° E and move eastward along the African coast to the Sardinia Channel, where they detach from the coast, continuing offshore and following the cyclonic intermediate circulation. We detect a region between 4.5 and 6.5 ° E where such eddies tend to converge and terminate their life. Finally, the analysis suggests that eddies formed in the northern and in the southern part of the Algerian Basin present some physical differences such as lifetime, kinetic energy and vorticity. Furthermore, the connection between the two parts in terms of eddy tracks is limited to a very small number of southbound (FEs) or northbound (AEs) structures crossing 39 ° N. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) has been employed to explore the sensitivity of the forecast skill of mixed-layer properties to initial conditions, boundary conditions, and vertical mixing parameterisations. The initial and lateral boundary conditions were provided by the Mediterranean Forecasting System (MFS) or by the MERCATOR global ocean circulation model via one-way nesting; the initial conditions were additionally updated through the assimilation of observations. Nowcasts and forecasts from the weather forecast models COSMO-ME and COSMO-IT, partly melded with observations, served as surface boundary conditions. The vertical mixing was parameterised by the GLS (generic length scale) scheme (Umlauf and Burchard, 2003) in four different set-ups. All ROMS forecasts were validated against the observations which were taken during the REP14-MED survey to the west of Sardinia. Nesting ROMS in MERCATOR and updating the initial conditions through data assimilation provided the best agreement of the predicted mixed-layer properties with the time series from a moored thermistor chain. Further improvement was obtained by the usage of COSMO-ME atmospheric forcing, which was melded with real observations, and by the application of the k-! vertical mixing scheme with increased vertical eddy diffusivity. The predicted temporal variability of the mixed-layer temperature was reasonably well correlated with the observed variability, while the modelled variability of the mixed-layer depth exhibited only agreement with the observations near the diurnal frequency peak. For the forecasted horizontal variability, reasonable agreement was found with observations from a ScanFish section, but only for the mesoscale wave number band; the observed submesoscale variability was not reproduced by ROMS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A high-resolution parallel ocean model is set up to examine how the sill depth of the Atlantic connection affects circulation and water characteristics in the Mediterranean Basin. An analysis of the model performance, comparing model results with observations of the present-day Mediterranean, demonstrates its ability to reproduce observed water characteristics and circulation (including deep water formation). A series of experiments with different sill depths in the Atlantic-Mediterranean connection is used to assess the sensitivity of Mediterranean circulation and water characteristics to sill depth. Basin-averaged water salinity and, to a lesser degree, temperature rise when the sill depth is shallower and exchange with the Atlantic is lower. Lateral and interbasinal differences in the Mediterranean are, however, largely unchanged. The strength of the upper overturning cell in the western basin is proportional to the magnitude of the exchange with the Atlantic, and hence to sill depth. Overturning in the eastern basin and deep water formation in both basins, on the contrary, are little affected by the sill depth. The model results are used to interpret the sedimentary record of the Late Miocene preceding and during the Messinian Salinity Crisis. In the western basin, a correlation exists between sill depth and rate of refreshment of deep water. On the other hand, because sill depth has little effect on the overturning and deep water formation in the eastern basin, the model results do not support the notion that restriction of the Atlantic-Mediterranean connection may cause lower oxygenation of deep water in the eastern basin. However, this discrepancy may be due to simplifications in the surface forcing and the use of a bathymetry different from that in the Late Miocene. We also tentatively conclude that blocked outflow, as found in experiments with a sill depth ⩽10 m, is a plausible scenario for the second stage of the Messinian Salinity Crisis during which halite was rapidly accumulated in the Mediterranean. With the model setup and experiments, a basis has been established for future work on the sensitivity of Mediterranean circulation to changes in (palaeo-)bathymetry and external forcings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Statistics of transit and residence times in the Adriatic Sea surface, a semi-enclosed basin of the Mediterranean, are estimated from drifter data and Lagrangian numerical simulations. The results obtained from the drifters are generally underestimated given their short operating lifetimes (half life of ~40 days) compared to the transit and residence times. This bias can be removed by considering a large amount of numerical particles whose trajectories are integrated over a long time (750 days) with a statistical advection-dispersion model of the Adriatic surface circulation. Numerical particles indicate that the maximum transit time to exit the basin is about 216-260 days for particles released near the northern tip of the Adriatic, and that a particle entering on the eastern Otranto Channel will typically exit on the other side of the channel after 170-185 days. A duration of 150-168 days is estimated as the residence time in the Adriatic Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The deep outer margin of the Gulf of Lions and the adjacent basin, in the western Mediterranean Sea, are regularly impacted by open-ocean convection, a major hydrodynamic event responsible for the ventilation of the deep water in the western Mediterranean Basin. However, the impact of open-ocean convection on the flux and transport of particulate matter remains poorly understood. The variability of water mass properties (i.e., temperature and salinity), currents, and particle fluxes were monitored between September 2007 and April 2009 at five instrumented mooring lines deployed between 2050 and 2350-m depth in the deepest continental margin and adjacent basin. Four of the lines followed a NW- SE transect, while the fifth one was located on a sediment wave field to the west. The results of the main, central line SC2350 ("LION") located at 42°02.5' N, 4°41' E, at 2350m depth, show that open-ocean convection reached midwater depth (≈ 1000-m depth) during winter 2007-2008, and reached the seabed (≈ 2350-m depth) during winter 20082009. Horizontal currents were unusually strong with speeds up to 39 cm s-1 during winter 2008-2009. The measurements at all 5 different locations indicate that mid-depth and near-bottom currents and particle fluxes gave relatively consistent values of similar magnitude across the study area except during winter 2008-2009, when near-bottom fluxes abruptly increased by one to two orders of magnitude. Particulate organic carbon contents, which generally vary between 3 and 5 %, were abnormally low (≤ 1%) during winter 20082009 and approached those observed in surface sediments (≈ 0.6 %). Turbidity profiles made in the region demonstrated the existence of a bottom nepheloid layer, several hundred meters thick, and related to the resuspension of bottom sediments. These observations support the view that open-ocean deep convection events in the Gulf of Lions can cause significant remobilization of sediments in the deep outer margin and the basin, with a subsequent alteration of the seabed likely impacting the functioning of the deep-sea ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We develop and implement a new method to take into account the impact of waves into the 3-D circulation model SYMPHONIE (Marsaleix et al., 2008, 2009a) following the simplified equations of Bennis et al. (2011), which use glm2z-RANS theory (Ardhuin et al., 2008c). These adiabatic equations are completed by additional parameterizations of wave breaking, bottom friction and wave-enhanced vertical mixing, making the forcing valid from the surf zone through to the open ocean. The wave forcing is performed by wave generation and propagation models WAVEWATCH III® (Tolman, 2008, 2009; Ardhuin et al., 2010) and SWAN (Booij et al., 1999). The model is tested and compared with other models for a plane beach test case, previously tested by Haas and Warner (2009) and Uchiyama et al. (2010). A comparison is also made with the laboratory measurements of Haller et al. (2002) of a barred beach with channels. Results fit with previous simulations performed by other models and with available observational data. Finally, a realistic case is simulated with energetic waves travelling over a coast of the Gulf of Lion (in the northwest of the Mediterranean Sea) for which currents are available at different depths as well as an accurate bathymetric database of the 0-10 m depth range. A grid nesting approach is used to account for the different forcings acting at different spatial scales. The simulation coupling the effects of waves and currents is successful to reproduce the powerful northward littoral drift in the 0-15 m depth zone. More precisely, two distinct cases are identified: When waves have a normal angle of incidence with the coast, they are responsible for complex circulation cells and rip currents in the surf zone, and when they travel obliquely, they generate a northward littoral drift. These features are more complicated than in the test cases, due to the complex bathymetry and the consideration of wind and non-stationary processes. Wave impacts in the inner shelf are less visible since wind and regional circulation seem to be the predominant forcings. Besides, a discrepancy between model and observations is noted at that scale, possibly linked to an underestimation of the wind stress. This three-dimensional method allows a good representation of vertical current profiles and permits the calculation of the shear stress associated with waves and currents. Future work will focus on the combination with a sediment transport model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Observations of tritium and ³He in the Tyrrhenian Sea, 1987-2009, confirm the enhanced vertical mixing of intermediate waters into the deep waters that has been noted and associated with the Eastern Mediterranean Transient in previous studies. Our evidence for the mixing rests on increasing tracer concentrations in the Tyrrhenian deep waters, accompanied by decreases in the upper waters, which are supplied from the Eastern Mediterranean. The downward transfer is particularly evident between 1987 and 1997. Later on, information partly rests on increasing tritium-³He ages; here we correct the observed ³He for contributions released from the ocean floor. The Tyrrhenian tracer distributions are fully compatible with data upstream of the Sicily Strait and in the Western Mediterranean. The tracer data show that mixing reached to the bottom and confirm a cyclonic nature of the deep water circulation in the Tyrrhenian. They furthermore indicate that horizontal homogenization of the deep waters occurs on a time scale of roughly 5 years. Various features point to a reduced impact of Western Mediterranean Deep Water (WMDW) in the Tyrrhenian during the enhanced-mixing period. This is an important finding because it implies less upward mixing of WMDW, which has been named a major process to enable the WMDW to leave the Mediterranean via the Gibraltar Strait. On the other hand, the TDW outflow for several years represented a major influx of enhanced salinity and density waters into the deep-water range of the Western Mediterranean. INSET: 1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data from 38 Argo profiling floats are used to describe the intermediate Mediterranean currents for the period October 2003-January 2010. These floats were programmed to execute 5-day cycles, to drift at a neutral parking depth of 350m and measure temperature and salinity profiles from either 700 or 2000m up to the surface. At the end of each cycle the floats remained at the sea surface for about 6 h, enough time to be localised and transmit the data to the Argos satellite system. The Argos positions were used to determine the float surface and intermediate displacements. At the surface, the float motion was approximated by a linear displacement and inertial motion. Intermediate velocities estimates were used to investigate the Mediterranean circulation at 350 m, to compute the pseudo-Eulerian statistics and to study the influence of bathymetry on the intermediate currents. Maximum speeds, as large as 33 cm/s, were found northeast of the Balearic Islands (western basin) and in the Ierapetra eddy (eastern basin). Typical speeds in the main along-slope currents (Liguro-Provençal-Catalan, Algerian and Libyo-Egyptian Currents) were ∼20 cm/s. In the central and western part of Mediterranean basin, the pseudo-Eulerian statistics show typical intermediate circulation pathways which can be related to the motion of Levantine Intermediate Water. In general our results agree with the qualitative intermediate circulation schemes proposed in the literature, except in the southern Ionian where we found westward-flowing intermediate currents. Fluctuating currents appeared to be usually larger than the mean flow. Intermediate currents were found to be essentially parallel to the isobaths over most of the areas characterized by strong bathymetry gradients, in particular, in the vicinity of the continental slopes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data from 38 Argo profiling floats are used to describe the subsurface Mediterranean currents for the period 2003-2009. These floats were programmed to execute 5-day cycles, to drift at a neutral parking depth of 350m and measure temperature and salinity profiles from either 700 or 2000m up to the surface. At the end of each cycle the floats remained at the sea surface for about 6 h, enough time to be localised and transmit the data to the Argos satellite system. The Argos positions were used to determine the float surface and subsurface displacements. At the surface, the float motion was approximated by a linear displacement and inertial motion. Subsurface velocities esti10 mates were used to investigate the Mediterranean circulation at 350 m, to compute the pseudo-Eulerian statistics and to study the influence of bathymetry on the subsurface currents. Maximum speeds, as large as 33 cm/s, were found northeast of the Balearic Islands (Western basin) and in the Ierapetra eddy (Eastern basin). Typical speeds in the main along-slope currents (Liguro-Provençal-Catalan, Algerian and Libyo-Egyptian Currents) were ~20 cm/s. In the best sampled regions, the pseudo-Eulerian statistics show typical subsurface circulation pathways which can be related to the motion of Levantine Intermediate Water. In general our results agree with the qualitative subsurface circulation schemes proposed in the literature, except in the southern Ionian where we found westward-flowing subsurface currents. Fluctuating currents appeared to be usually larger than the mean flow. Subsurface currents were found to be essentially parallel to the isobaths over most of the areas characterized by strong bathymetry gradients, in particular, in the vicinity of the continental slopes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ships Of Opportunity Program in the Mediterranean Sea was established at the end of 1999, in the framework of the Mediterranean Forecasting System -- Pilot Project (MFS-PP). Many improvements have been made in data collection, transmission and management. Calibration of selected XBTs and a comparison of XBTs vs. CTDs during some research cruises have assured the quality of the data. Transmission now allows receiving data in full resolution by using GSM or satellite telecommunication services; management is offering access to high quality data and view services. The effects of technological and methodological improvements in the observing system are assessed in terms of capability to represent the most important circulation features. The improved methodologies have been tested during the Mediterranean Forecasting System -- Toward Environmental Prediction (MFS-TEP) -- Targeted Operational Period (MFS-TOP), lasting from September 2004 to February 2005. In spite of the short period of measurements, several important aspects of the Mediterranean Sea circulation have been verified, such as eddies and gyres in the various sub-basins, and dense water formation processes in some of them (vertical homogeneous profiles of about 13°C down to ~ 800m in the Provençal, and of about 14.9°C down to ~ 300m in the Levantine have allowed defining an index of dense water formation). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of wave-current interactions on shelf ocean forecasts is investigated in the framework of the MFSTEP (Mediterranean Forecasting System Project Towards Enviromental Predictions) project. A one way sequential coupling approach is adopted to link the wave model (WAM) to the circulation model (SYMPHONIE). The coupling of waves and currents has been done considering four main processes: wave refraction due to currents, surface wind drag and bottom drag modifications due to waves, and the wave induced mass flux. The coupled modelling system is implemented in the southern Catalan shelf (NW Mediterranean), a region with characteristics similar to most of the Mediterranean shelves. The sensitivity experiments are run in a typical operational configuration. The wave refraction by currents seems to be not very relevant in a microtidal context such as the western Mediterranean. The main effect of waves on current forecasts is through the modification of the wind drag. The Stokes drift also plays a significant role due to its spatial and temporal characteristics. Finally, the enhanced bottom friction is just noticeable in the inner shelf. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ships Of Opportunity Program in the Mediterranean Sea was established at the end of 1999, in the framework of the Mediterranean Forecasting System -- Pilot Project (MFS-PP). Many improvements have been made in data collection, transmission and management. Calibration of selected XBTs and a comparison of XBTs vs. CTDs 5 during some research cruises have assured the quality of the data. Transmission now allows receiving data in full resolution by using GSM or satellite telecommunication services; management is offering access to high quality data and view services. The effects of technological and methodological improvements in the observing system are assessed in terms of capability to represent the most important circulation features. 10 The improved methodologies have been tested during the Mediterranean Forecasting System -- Toward Environmental Prediction (MFS-TEP) -- Targeted Operational Period (MFS-TOP), lasting from September 2004 to February 2005. In spite of the short period of measurements, several important aspects of the Mediterranean Sea circulation have been verified, such as eddies and gyres in the various sub-basins, and dense water 15 formation processes in some of them (vertical homogeneous profiles of about 13°C down to ∼800m in the Provencal, and of about 14.9°C down to ∼300m in the Levantine have allowed defining an index of dense water formation). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The MFS (Mediterranean Forecasting System) project and its follower MFSTEP (Mediterranean ocean Forecasting System -- Towards Environmental Prediction) are being covering the Mediterranean Sea with operational Ocean General Circulation Models (OGCMs) at horizontal resolution varying from about 12km till 2005 to 6.5 km in 2006 (reaching 3km with some regional models and 1.5 km for few shelf models). Heat, water and momentum fluxes through the air-sea interface are derived from the European Center for Medium-range Weather Forecast (ECMWF) output at 0.5° horizontal resolution. Such horizontal resolutions could be not able to provide the needed forecast accuracy in some cases (localized emergencies at sea, e.g. oil spill; need for high resolution current forecasts, e.g. offshore works). A solution to this problem is represented by relocatable models able to be rapidly deployed and to produce forecasts starting from the MFS products. The Harvard Ocean Prediction System (HOPS) has been chosen as base of the relocatable model and it has been interfaced with the MFSTEP OGCM and one regional model. The relocatable model has demonstrated capability to produce forecasts within 2-3 days in many cases, and more rapid implementation may be obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cilician Basin/Shelf Model is adapted for studying the shelf circulation in the Cilician Basin -- Gulf of İskenderun region of the Levantine Basin of the Eastern Mediterranean between the Turkish Mediterranean coast, Syria and the island of Cyprus. The model initial conditions and open boundary conditions are supplied by the ALERMO regional model of the Levantine Sea, while interactive surface flux boundary conditions are specified by an atmospheric boundary layer sub-model using calculated water properties and surface atmospheric variables supplied by the Skiron atmospheric model, within the nested modelling approach of the MFSTEP (Mediterranean Forecasting System: Towards Environmental Predictions) project. Sensitivity tests are performed for alternative surface boundary conditions. Model performance for shelf/mesoscale forecasts is demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]