Oceanographic conditions in North and Northwest Iberia and their influence on the Prestige oil spill

Ruiz-Villarreal, Manuel; González-Pola, César; Río, Guillermo Díaz del; Lavín, A.; Otero-Tranchero, P.; Piedracoba, Sílvia; Cabanas, José Manuel Oro

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2006.03.011

Cited by 61 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Autumn transition in 2002 can be considered as typical since winds were variable and weak from early September with some weak downwelling episodes until the strong storm on 9 -11 October. Afterward, a succession of strong downwelling events and their relaxation was interrupted only by short upwelling periods [see also Ruiz-Villarreal et al, 2006;Otero et al, 2008].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The accumulated river discharge during the following months provides a realistic estimation of the freshwater budget in the shelf. Tide is implemented at this stage along open boundaries with results from the OSU tidal inverse model (TPX0.6) [Egbert and Erofeeva, 2002] Ruiz-Villarreal et al, 2006]. Model winds are interpolated to the location of the meteorological stations using only winds at ocean points.…”

Section: Hydrodynamical Model Setupmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[4] In this contribution, we will analyze surface winds from different meteorological model systems and evaluate their effect on the modeling of the coastal circulation in autumn 2002, a typical downwelling period, when the Prestige oil spill accident took place [Ruiz-Villarreal et al, 2006]. Model products were selected on the basis of their operational availability for that period.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Wind forcing of the coastal circulation off north and northwest Iberia: Comparison of atmospheric models

Otero-Tranchero

Ruiz-Villarreal

2008

J. Geophys. Res.

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[1] Comparisons between observed winds and winds from reanalysis (National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Reanalysis 1 and 2) and forecast meteorological models (High-Resolution Limited Area Model (HIRLAM)-Agencia Estatal de Meteorologia 0.2°and Atmospheric Research Mesoscale Model version 5-MeteoGalicia with 30 km and 10 km resolution) have been performed for the coastal region around northwest and north Iberia during a typical autumn downwelling period (SeptemberDecember 2002). Observations at buoys and coastal stations and QuikSCAT-derived winds were employed. The analyzed period was dominated by southerly and southwesterly winds associated to the passage of low-pressure systems. Our results show that the westward component is higher on the north coast than on the west coast and that winds are intensified at the western north coast. In this situation, the performance is similar in all model products in general terms, but only HIRLAM represents the reduction of winds in the Cantabrian Sea and NCEP and MM5 overestimate the magnitude of southsouthwest winds. Spatial differences in winds are also obtained for upwelling favorable events, associated either with a high-pressure system north from Iberia at the beginning of the autumn transition (northeasterly winds) or with conditions after the passage of a lowpressure system (northwesterly winds). The existence of sea surface temperature (SST) gradients in the coastal region implies that higher-resolution boundary SST products for meteorological models are necessary. Finally, the effect of these wind products on the coastal circulation was assessed with a 3-D numerical simulation. Differences in the expansion/confinement of river plumes and the surface speed of the slope current are induced by differences in wind patterns over the shelf and slope area among atmospheric models.Citation: Otero, P., and M. Ruiz-Villarreal (2008), Wind forcing of the coastal circulation off north and northwest Iberia: Comparison of atmospheric models,

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Hydrodynamical Model Setupmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Wind forcing of the coastal circulation off north and northwest Iberia: Comparison of atmospheric models

Otero-Tranchero

Ruiz-Villarreal

2008

J. Geophys. Res.

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“…In particular, these data have also been used in studies of the oceanographic conditions following the Prestige oil spill accident (Ruiz-Villarreal et al, 2006). Furthermore, assimilation of satellite data is an important tool for the validation of the hydrographical circulation models of the area and an important support tool (Garcia-Soto, 2004) for the design and development of Spanish oceanographic surveys and research.…”

Section: Satellite Sst Images Reception Stationmentioning

confidence: 99%

IEOOS: the Spanish Institute of Oceanography Observing System

Tel¹,

Balbín

Cabanas

et al. 2016

Ocean Sci.

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Abstract. Since its foundation, 100 years ago, the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO) has been observing and measuring the ocean characteristics. Here is a summary of the initiatives of the IEO in the field of the operational oceanography. Some systems like the tide gauges network has been working for more than 70 years. The standard sections began at different moments depending on the local projects, and nowadays there are more than 180 coastal stations and deep-sea ones that are systematically sampled, obtaining physical and biochemical measurements. At this moment, the Observing System includes six permanent moorings equipped with current meters, an opensea ocean-meteorological buoy offshore Santander and a sea-surface temperature satellite image station. It also supports the Spanish contribution to the Argo international programme with 47 deployed profilers, and continuous monitoring thermosalinometers, meteorological stations and vesselmounted acoustic Doppler current profilers on the research vessel fleet. The system is completed with the contribution to the Northwest Iberian peninsula and Gibraltar observatories, and the development of regional prediction models. All these systematic measurements allow the IEO to give responses to ocean research activities, official agencies requirements and industrial and main society demands such as navigation, resource management, risks management, recreation, as well as for management development pollution-related economic activities or marine ecosystems. All these networks are linked to international initiatives, framed largely in supranational programmes of Earth observation sponsored by the United Nations or the European Union. The synchronic observation system permits a spatio-temporal description of some events, such as new deep water formation in the Mediterranean Sea and the injection of heat to intermediate waters in the Bay of Biscay after some colder northern storms in winter 2005.

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“…The IPC is thought be a permanent feature although it reaches a maximum development in wintertime after the strengthening of the meridional density gradients in late fall and winter (Peliz et al, 2005), aided by downwelling favourable winds, which adds up to a fifth of the total transport (Frouin et al, 1990). On the contrary, during the summer the IPC is not observed at the sea surface and it is thought to be displaced offshore and to persist below the surface (Peliz et al, 2005;Ruiz-Villarreal et al, 2006). The effect of the upwelling/downwelling cycle on the central waters is reflected in our dataset as enhanced cooling/freshening on the slope in summertime, down to 600 dbar, caused by heave (Fig.…”

Section: Continental Slope Dynamics: Upwelling the Iberian Poleward mentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonality of intermediate waters hydrography west of the Iberian Peninsula from an 8 yr semiannual time series of an oceanographic section

Prieto

González‐Pola

Lavín³

et al. 2013

Ocean Sci.

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Abstract. Seasonality of hydrographical properties at depth in the western Iberian margin (eastern North Atlantic) is analysed from a 2003-2010 time series of a semiannual oceanographic section extending ∼ 200 nm off Cape Finisterre (43 • N). All water masses down to the permanent thermocline (2000 dbar) show a consistent seasonal signature in their thermohaline properties and there is a notable asymmetry between the slope region and the outer ocean (in the surroundings of the Galicia Bank). There is overall cooling and freshening of eastern North Atlantic central waters in summertime, which is larger and deeper-reaching on the slope. In summertime, Mediterranean Water (MW) gets tightly attached against the slope and is uplifted, reinforcing its thermohaline signature and diminishing its presence at the outer ocean. In wintertime the situation reverses, MW seems to detach from the slope and spreads out to the open ocean, even being observed a secondary branch around the Galicia Bank. Thermohaline seasonality at depth shows values up to 0.4 • C and 0.08 in salinity at the lower MW, of the order of 20 % of the overall interannual variability observed during the whole period. Decomposition of thermohaline changes at isobaric levels to changes along isoneutral surfaces and changes due to vertical displacements help analyse the physical processes behind the observed seasonality in terms of (1) the large-scale seasonality of the subtropical gyre in response to the seasonal migration of the subtropical high pressure system and subsequent anomalies in Ekman transport and wind stress curl, (2) the continental slope dynamics, characterized by summer upwelling, winter development of the Iberian Poleward Current and Mediterranean water spreading, and (3) the possible influence of seasonal changes of water mass properties at their formation sources.

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Oceanographic conditions in North and Northwest Iberia and their influence on the Prestige oil spill

Cited by 61 publications

References 37 publications

Wind forcing of the coastal circulation off north and northwest Iberia: Comparison of atmospheric models

Wind forcing of the coastal circulation off north and northwest Iberia: Comparison of atmospheric models

IEOOS: the Spanish Institute of Oceanography Observing System

Seasonality of intermediate waters hydrography west of the Iberian Peninsula from an 8 yr semiannual time series of an oceanographic section

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