1. Physical forcing and physical/biochemical variability of the Mediterranean Sea: a review of unresolved issues and directions for future research
- Author
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Malanotte-Rizzoli, P., Artale, V., Borzelli-Eusebi, G.L., Brenner, S., Civitarese, G., Crise, A., Font, J., Gacic, M., Kress, N. (Nurit), Marullo, S., Ozsoy, E., Ribera d'Alcalà, M., Roether, W., Schroeder, K. (Katrin), Sofianos, S., Tanhua, T. (Toste), Theocharis, A. (Alexandre), Álvarez, M. (Marta), Ashkenazy, Y., Bergamasco, A., Cardin, V. (Vanessa), Carniel, S., D'Ortenzio, F., García-Ladona, E., García-Lafuente, J.M., Gogou, A. (Alexandra), Gregoire, M., Hainbucher, D., Kontoyiannis, H., Kovacevic, V., Kraskapoulou, E., Krokos, G., Incarbona, A., Mazzocchi, M.G. (Maria Grazia), Orlic, M., Pascual, A., Poulain, P.M. (Pierre-Marie), Rubino, A., Siokou-Frangou, I. (Ioanna), Souvermezoglou, E., Sprovieri, M., Taupier-Letage, I. (Isabelle), Tintoré, J. (Joaquim), Triantafyllou, G. (George), Malanotte-Rizzoli, P, Artale, V, Borzelli-Eusebi, GL, Brenner, S, Civitarese, G, Crise, A, Font, J, Gacic, M, Kress, N, Marullo, S, Ozsoy, E, Ribera d'Alcalà, M, Roether, W, Schroeder, K, Sofianos, S, Tanhua, T, Theocharis, A, Alvarez, M, Ashkenazy, Y, Bergamasco, A, Cardin, V, Carniel, S, D'Ortenzio, F, Garcia-Ladona, E, Garcia-Lafuente, JM, Gogou, A, Gregoire, M, Hainbucher, D, Kontoyannis, H, Kovacevic, V, Krasakapoulou, E, Krokos, G, Incarbona, A, Mazzocchi, MG, Orlic,M, Pascual, A, Poulain, PM, Rubino, A, Siokou-Frangou, J, Souvermezoglou, E, Sprovieri, M, Tintorè, J, Triantafyllou, G, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Rizzoli, Paola M., Laboratoire d'océanographie de Villefranche (LOV), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de la Mer de Villefranche (IMEV), Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Marullo, S., Artale, V., Observatoire océanologique de Villefranche-sur-mer (OOVM), and Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,Mediterranean climate ,010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,Settore GEO/12 - Oceanografia e Fisica dell'Atmosfera ,Wind stress ,Review ,Physical oceanography ,Oceanography ,01 natural sciences ,Mediterranean sea ,physical forcing ,variability ,Mediterranean ,future research ,Mediterranean Sea ,14. Life underwater ,lcsh:Environmental sciences ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,[SDU.OCEAN]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Ocean, Atmosphere ,lcsh:GE1-350 ,Forcing (recursion theory) ,business.industry ,010604 marine biology & hydrobiology ,Environmental resource management ,Property distribution ,lcsh:Geography. Anthropology. Recreation ,Object (philosophy) ,Geography ,lcsh:G ,13. Climate action ,Internal variability ,business - Abstract
Malanotte-Rizzoli, Paola ... et. al.-- 76 pages, The importance of the Mediterranean Sea for the world ocean has long been recognized. First, the Mediterranean sea has a profound impact on the Atlantic ocean circulation and, consequently, on the global thermohaline conveyor belt. Maps of the 5 Mediterranean salty water tongue exiting from the Gibraltar strait at intermediate depths and spreading throughout the Atlantic interior are well known since the 1950s. Through direct pathways to the Atlantic polar regions or through indirect mixing processes, the salty Mediterranean water preconditions the deep convection cells of the polar Atlantic. There the North Atlantic Deep Water is formed which successively spreads throughout 10 the world ocean constituting the core of the global thermohaline circulation. Even more importantly, the Mediterranean Sea is a laboratory basin for the investigation of processes of global importance, being much more amenable to observational surveys because of its location in mid-latitude and its dimensions. Both the western and eastern basins in fact possess closed thermohaline circulations analogous to the 15 global conveyor belt. A unique upper layer open thermohaline cell connects the eastern to the western basin and, successively, to the north Atlantic through the Gibraltar strait. In it, the Atlantic water entering into Gibraltar in the surface layer, after travelling to the easternmost Levantine basin, is transformed into one of the saltiest water masses through air–sea heat and moisture fluxes. This is the salty water which, crossing the 20 entire basin in the opposite direction below the surface Atlantic water, finally exits from the Gibraltar strait at mid-depths. Both the western and eastern basins are endowed with deep/intermediate convection cells analogous to the polar Atlantic deep convection cells or to the intermediate mode water ones. Deep and intermediate water masses are therefore formed in differ25 ent sites of the entire basin. Because of their easily accessible locations, these convection cells are much more amenable to direct observational surveys and mooring arrays
- Published
- 2014
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