Seasonal changes of water mass structure and shelf slope exchanges at the Ebro Shelf (NW Mediterranean)

Salat, Jordi; Garcı́a, Marc A.; Cruzado, Antonio; Palanqués, Albert; Arı́n, Laura; Gomis, Damià; Guillén, Jorge; León, Angélica de; Puigdefàbregas, Joan; Sospedra, Joaquim; Velásquez, Zoila

doi:10.1016/s0278-4343(01)00031-0

Cited by 131 publications

(122 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Similarly, a study carried out in front of the Rhone River (Darnaude et al, 2004;Hermand et al, 2008) detected OM of terrestrial origin at 100 m depth, with the macrobenthos enhancing benthic secondary production. Salat et al (2002) found a major thermocline in the area of study between 50 and 60 m, similar to that found in our study in summer (Cartes et al, 2009). We suggest that the river plume interacting with the thermocline induced gradients and changes in food quality at small spatial scales, the differences in the grain size being a surrogate for differences between S1 and S2.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Four cruises were undertaken in summer, on 27-30 June, 14-17 July, 28-31 July and 19-22 August; and two cruises took place in autumn, on 26-29 September and 14-17 November. Sampling covered different environmental conditions in the Mediterranean, from warm water temperatures in summer months, with a marked thermocline, to lower temperatures in autumn characterized by the mix of the water column (Salat et al, 2002).…”

Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Influence of environmental factors on the dynamics of macrobenthic crustaceans on soft-bottoms of the Ebro Delta continental shelf (northwestern Mediterranean)

Juan¹,

Cartes²

2011

Sci. Mar.

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SUMMARY: Short-term temporal variability in infaunal crustacean communities was evaluated against environmental variability. The area of study was located at two stations at 45 and 60 m depth under the influence of the Ebro River. Differences in the relative abundance of crustacean species between sites might be related to the distance from the river, with higher organic matter supply and finer mud content near the river. There was a marked seasonal variability linked to high phytoplankton production in spring, which supplied organic matter to the benthos, inducing higher crustacean abundance. In late summer there was a reduction in the infaunal crustacean abundance and species richness that could have been caused by two factors: the establishment of the thermocline, which could limit the availability of organic matter to the seabed, and the high water temperatures, which caused the production of phytoplankton exudates and accumulation of mucilaginous aggregates over the seabed. The 45-m site was under the influence of otter-trawl fishing and precisely in this area the seasonal variability was not observed, probably masked by the effects of trawling impact.Keywords: Peracarida, benthos, spatial variations, muddy sediments, temperature, mucilaginous aggregates. RESUMEN: Influencia de factores ambientales en la dinámica de crustáceos macrobentónicos en fondos fangosos de la plataforma continental del Delta del Ebro (Mediterráneo noroccidental). -Evaluamos la variabilidad temporal de la comunidad de crustáceos endobentónicos frente a la variabilidad ambiental a pequeña escala. El estudio se sitúa en la plataforma continental frente a la desembocadura del Rio Ebro, en dos estaciones de muestreo a 45 y 60 m de profundidad. Las diferencias en la abundancia relativa de crustáceos entre las dos estaciones pueden estar relacionadas con la distancia a la desembocadura del Ebro, con un mayor aporte de materia orgánica y mayor contenido de fango cerca del rio. Observamos una variabilidad estacional relacionada con la alta producción de fitoplancton en primavera, con aportes de materia orgánica al bentos favoreciendo una mayor abundancia de crustáceos. Al final del verano se establece la termoclina, pudiendo limitar el aporte de materia orgánica al bentos, y junto con las altas temperaturas, que originaron acumulaciones de exudados de fitoplancton en el fondo, pudo causar una reducción en la abundancia y riqueza específica. La variabilidad estacional no es tan marcada en la estación de muestreo a 45 m. Esta zona está impactada por la pesca de arrastre, que probablemente enmascara la variabilidad temporal.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of environmental factors on the dynamics of macrobenthic crustaceans on soft-bottoms of the Ebro Delta continental shelf (northwestern Mediterranean)

Juan¹,

Cartes²

2011

Sci. Mar.

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“…For instance, Oey et al (2004) and Liu and Weisberg (2012) include extended measurements to investigate the water circulation's response to spatial wind and the particular role of the barotropic pressure gradients. Finally, it is worth noting that the interaction between offshore winds and regional cir- culation was filtered in previous investigations in the region (Font, 1990;Salat et al, 2002;Jordà, 2005).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Oceanographic investigations in the Ebro River region were focused primarily on the outer shelf and slope dynamics of the southern margin (Font, 1990;Palanques et al, 2002;Salat et al, 2002;Jordà, 2005) with relevant eddy activity (Redondo et al, 2013). The circulation in these regions is dominated by the inertial band, with a relevant signal of the slope current associated with the regional northern current northern or Liguro-Provençal-Catalan current (Jordà, 2005).…”

Section: Study Area and Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ocean–atmosphere–wave characterisation of a wind jet (Ebro shelf, NW Mediterranean Sea)

Grifoll

Navarro

Pallarés

et al. 2016

Nonlin. Processes Geophys.

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Abstract. In this contribution the wind jet dynamics in the northern margin of the Ebro River shelf (NW Mediterranean Sea) are investigated using coupled numerical models. The study area is characterised by persistent and energetic offshore winds during autumn and winter. During these seasons, a seaward wind jet usually develops in a ∼ 50 km wide band offshore. The COAWST (Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere-Wave-Sediment Transport) modelling system was implemented in the region with a set of downscaling meshes to obtain high-resolution meteooceanographic outputs. Wind, waves and water currents were compared with in situ observations and remote-sensingderived products with an acceptable level of agreement. Focused on an intense offshore wind event, the modelled wind jet appears in a limited area offshore with strong spatial variability. The wave pattern during the wind jet is characterised by the development of bimodal directional spectra, and the ocean circulation tends to present well-defined twolayer flow in the shallower region (i.e. inner shelf). The outer shelf tends to be dominated by mesoscale dynamics such as the slope current. Due to the limited fetch length, ocean surface roughness considering sea state (wave-atmosphere coupling) modifies to a small extent the wind and significant wave height under severe cross-shelf wind events. However, the coupling effect in the wind resource assessment may be relevant due to the cubic relation between the wind intensity and power.

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“…Observational studies in the Ebro delta shelf [Jordà 2005;Salat et al, 2002;Bastida et al, 2012] have suggested enhanced stratification by increased spring 420 and summer heat fluxes. Not far from our study site, Grifoll et al [2013] found large seasonal variability in the buoyancy frequency in front of Barcelona and a 422 relationship between the annual cycle of hydrographic conditions and the atmospheric variability (wind and net heat flux).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Shelf response to intense offshore wind

2015

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Cross and along‐shelf winds drive cross‐shelf transport that promotes the exchange of tracers and nutrients to the open sea. The shelf response to cross‐shelf winds is studied in the north shelf of the Ebro Delta (Mediterranean Sea), where those winds are prevalent and intense. Offshore winds in the region exhibit strong intensities (wind stress larger than 0.8 Pa) during winter and fall. The monthly average flow observed in a 1 year current meter record at 43.5 m was polarized following the isobaths with the along‐shelf variability being larger than the cross‐shelf. Prevalent southwestward along‐shelf flow was induced by the three‐dimensional regional response to cross‐shelf winds and the coastal constraint. Seaward near‐surface velocities occurred predominantly during offshore wind events. During intense wind periods, the surface cross‐shelf water transport exceeded the net along‐shelf transport. During typically stratified seasons, the intense cross‐shelf winds resulted in a well‐defined two‐layer flow and were more effective at driving offshore transport than during unstratified conditions. While transfer coefficients between wind and currents were generally around 1%, higher cross‐shelf transfer coefficients were observed in the near‐inertial band. The regional extent of the resulting surface cold water during energetic cross‐shelf winds events was concentrated around the region of the wind jet. Cross‐shelf transport due to along‐shelf winds was only effective during northeast wind events. During along‐shelf wind conditions, the transport was estimated to be between 10 and 50% of the theoretical Ekman transport.

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Seasonal changes of water mass structure and shelf slope exchanges at the Ebro Shelf (NW Mediterranean)

Cited by 131 publications

References 16 publications

Influence of environmental factors on the dynamics of macrobenthic crustaceans on soft-bottoms of the Ebro Delta continental shelf (northwestern Mediterranean)

Influence of environmental factors on the dynamics of macrobenthic crustaceans on soft-bottoms of the Ebro Delta continental shelf (northwestern Mediterranean)

Ocean–atmosphere–wave characterisation of a wind jet (Ebro shelf, NW Mediterranean Sea)

Shelf response to intense offshore wind

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